   I grew up attending BVSD schools and am very happy to now be teaching in the district that gave me my start. I'm passionate about creating a strong foundation for our youngest learners to build upon and doing so in an environment that embraces diversity and focuses on developing the whole child. Teaching Kindergarten is very rewarding and FUN! I love the transformation that takes place in kids during their first year of school. It is always amazing to see how much kids grow. Outside of school I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, being outside, and I have been known to play on Kickball and Dodgeball teams. I also enjoy being creative, my mom is an art teacher, so I have always been surrounded and motivated by the arts. I enjoy photography, drawing and creating things.   Drawings of my cousins. Education I went to Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan for my undergrad. (Go Broncos!) I graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A in Elementary Education. I have minors in Math and Science, Integrated Creative Arts, and Early Childhood Education (for which I also hold an endorsement). I am currently pursuing my Masters in Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity with an emphasis in Linguistically Diverse Education at University of Colorado at Boulder. Through Boulder Valley School District I have also participated in numerous trainings, courses, cohorts and professional development opportunities in literacy, math, diversity/equity, and curriculum and assessment development. Some of my favorites include: Kindergarten Literacy Cohort Literacy Processing Cohort Add+Vantage Math CLIP Training (Literacy Intervention) BVSD Elementary Curriculum Council K-2 Math Assessment Development |  Me with Naresh and Mahan in Kathmandu, Nepal. Traveling is also a passion of
mine. I went to Nepal
in August of 2007, and loved the experiences I
had. I was able to work with local children, spend a day eating and
playing with "street kids", visit the temples and sights
around Kathmandu, and go for a trek in the hills outside the city.  In the summer of 2010 I made my first trip to Europe. I visited England, Belgium, The Netherlands and Ireland. Visiting Ireland had been a dream of mine since I was little- how could it not be with a last name like Murphy? It was amazing to finally set foot on the Emerald Isle and set about exploring! I can't wait for my next big trip! Top of my "places to visit" list include Africa, a return trip to Europe to explore new countries, and maybe even a trip to Japan to visit my cousin and her husband! It will probably be a while before I get to go on another big trip though, so in the meantime I'll have to make due with road trips to visit friends and family throughout the United States! Toot and Puddle always enjoy tagging along for those adventures!  Windmills in Holland |
