I am a passionate educator dedicated to empowering students to believe in themselves and achieve their greatest potential. Throughout my career, I have inspired my students to give their best effort, show compassion, and embrace a growth mindset.
Fostering meaningful relationships with my students enabled me to set high expectations while creating a supportive, trust-filled classroom community. In this safe and encouraging environment, students feel confident taking risks and learning from mistakes, recognizing them as essential steps toward growth.
As an authentic and student-centered teacher, I designed my classroom to meet the diverse needs of all learners. By offering choices, cultivating comfort, and providing flexible learning spaces, every student has the opportunity to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
After earning both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Western Oregon University, I dedicated thirty-one years to teaching elementary education. Eager to continually improve my practice and increase student engagement, I pursued various professional development courses throughout my career. These included Love and Logic, which helped me cultivate a positive, choice-centered classroom environment; Art Education techniques to integrate creativity into lessons; and Whole Brain Teaching to foster active learning and maintain high energy.
I also delved into Writer’s Workshop to empower students’ voices in writing, Technology Integration to keep lessons relevant and interactive, and Yoga in the Classroom to introduce mindfulness and focus techniques. Training in Common Core Strategies helped me align lessons with standards, while diversity teaching methods broadened my perspective on inclusive practices, ensuring all students felt valued.
Each of these experiences added effective, enjoyable strategies to my toolkit, allowing me to teach at my best while inspiring students to succeed and enjoy their learning journey.
TEACHING AROUND THE WORLD
I was energized while teaching abroad, as it gave me the chance to nurture awareness and curiosity about our world in our children. I had the unique opportunity to teach English in Khon Kaen, Thailand, for six months, fully immersing myself in the culture. During this time, I strengthened my skills in teaching with a global perspective and developed invaluable abilities in cultural sensitivity, adaptability, and independence.
Being immersed in a new culture allowed me to gain firsthand insights into different perspectives and encouraged me to explore our world with curiosity. I also traveled to Uganda, Africa, for a summer to collaborate with educators on engagement strategies. I was impressed by their ability to effectively use the resources available to them while maintaining high expectations for teachers. When I returned, I was transformed as an educator and successfully integrated my experiences into my classroom.
A BOOK IS BORN
In my teaching, I encouraged my students to become authentic storytellers. We practiced considering their audience, making powerful word choices, organizing their thoughts, and editing their work. I am applying the same strategies as I create my first book, "How Are the Children? Instilling a Love of Learning in the Classroom." I am passionate about bringing immense joy to my students in various ways, and I feel compelled to share my story with others. Joy is endless; it can occur spontaneously or be intentionally planned. It has transformed my life as an educator, and it has the potential to change yours, too.