The majority of my teaching career has been spent teaching middle level students (mainly grades 6-7). In my student teaching through Blackburn College in Carlinville, IL, (go Beavers!) I taught fifth graders in Auburn, IL. During the next two decades+ after graduating with my BA in Education and a minor in Mathematics, I have taught at Saint Peter School in Reading, PA, (my hometown), Blessed Sacrament School in Springfield, IL, Franklin Middle School in Springfield, IL, and Bloomington Junior High School, right here in District 87. I am now a proud mustang at Irving Elementary in Bloomington, IL, where I am entering my sixth year teaching fourth graders.
In 2000, I earned my first Master of Education degree in Curriculum, Technology, and Education Reform at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In 2001, I earned certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in Early Adolescence/English Language Arts. In May 2013, I earned a second Master's degree in School Leadership from Concordia University Chicago.
I truly believe that all students can succeed, and giving up on any student is against my nature. I want students to look back on their fourth grade experience thinking, “I had fun and learned a ton!”
