Rivka grew up in Pittsburgh and graduated from Touro College with an undergraduate degree in Psychology. She has taught elementary school, middle school, teenagers, and adults for over 20 years. She currently teaches and is the special programs coordinator at Torah Day School of Houston. Rivka is a recipient of the Irving L. Samuels Outstanding Teacher award for Judaic Studies and of the Grinspoon – Steinhardt Award for excellence in Jewish Education. She has spent many years researching and implementing effective ways to minimize fighting between children and now coaches schools and parents and runs workshops to teach parents and teachers how to “bullyproof” their children. In an effort to bullyproof even the youngest children, she wrote "Sara the Bucket Filler" which teaches young children (and whoever reads them the story) how to be kind and stay happy.