Where do I start?

There are so many levels to my career in education, that I almost don’t know where to begin!  My experience and journey with students, parents, teachers, administrators, and the community have shaped my beliefs in teaching.  With that being said, how about a little history with some Q&A?

What is your teaching experience?  16 years; 15 years in the classroom, and 1 year as an Instructional Coach.  I will have my Master’s in Educational Leadership this Spring!

What subjects/grades have you taught?  1 year of Music K-5, 8 years of 4th grade which was a combo of departmentalized and self contained.  When I was departmentalized, I taught my own homeroom Writing, then three sections of Science and Math.  After 4th, I taught 7 years of 3rd grade self contained.

What type of schools have you taught in?  I have taught in low socioeconomic schools, to high performing public schools, to the private school setting.  I’ve seen it all in regards to testing, data, perspective, family dynamics, etc.

What is an interesting fact about your educational career? The number of years I have taught is the same number of years I have been married.  My husband and I got married four months after we both started our first teaching jobs.  Sure makes it easy to remember!

Do you work on the weekends?  Oh gosh…I try everything in my power not to.  I used to work over the weekends all the time, until I realized how much it hurt my effectiveness as the week got started on Monday.  As a matter of fact, my husband, who is an Athletic Director, and I used to BOTH work all weekend long and it wore us down (not to mention, burned us of any family time whatsoever).   I want my week to be as fresh as possible, which means, you have to give your head a break during the weekend!

What has made the biggest impact on your teaching? Becoming a mom.  I have met so many teachers who are magnificent and full of empathy and do not have kids of their own; however, that was not me.  Becoming a mom was the most significant event in my life that shaped my teaching the most.  My whole outlook changed in how I communicated to students AND parents.

Interesting fact about you?  I could easily become a Professional Development and leadership junkie! I love going to trainings (good trainings, of course), and learning all there is out there.  I also love learning anything I can about the pedagogy of leadership; it’s truly the thing that makes my heart pump!