In the course of my 18 year teaching career, I have had the opportunity and privilege to teach in many different settings and at many different grade levels. I started my career as a basic skills math teacher for grades 1-4, taught second grade for several years in an open classroom, and have also been a kindergarten, first, and third grade teacher in a regular classroom. I am currently the Gifted and Talented teacher for all third graders in my district, and provide push-in enrichment lessons (with a STEM focus) for 40 second and third grade homerooms each month. Outside of the classroom, I have freelanced for The Education Center (publishers of The Mailbox Magazine) for 18 years.
In a word, my teaching style is interactive! I almost never use text books, and believe that children learn best when they DO.
My "shining teacher moments" are not in the honors and awards I have received, but in the lightbulb moments, notes of gratitude from parents, and visits from former students. All of the certificates and commendations in the world can never outshine those. :)
I completed my Bachelors of Science Degree in Elementary Education and English from Gordon College. (Wenham, Massachusetts) In spring of 2016, I also earned my Masters Degree in Gifted, Talented, and Creative Education from Arkansas State University.
In addition to being a teacher, I am the mom to two teens. (Feel free to pray for me!) They are the source of my greatest joy (and at times, my greatest frustration!) I also have a mini schnauzer who is smarter than any dog should be, and a husband who is the love of my life and also my colleague.
PreK, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, Homeschool
English Language Arts, Reading, Spelling, Specialty, Math, Measurement, Other (Math), Science, Environment, Arts & Music, Other (Art), Religion, Gifted and Talented, Critical Thinking, For All Subjects, General Science, Problem Solving, Robotics, Holidays/Seasonal, Back to School, Thanksgiving, Christmas-Chanukah-Kwanzaa, Autumn, Halloween, Winter, The New Year, Valentine's Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents' Day, Black History Month, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Spring, Earth Day, For All Subjects, End of Year, Engineering, Phonics