A little about me...

I grew up here in Brookfield and attended all four

schools. Graduating in the Top 10 of my class from

BHS (1996), I went on to Fairfield University and

graduated Cum Laude in 2000 with degrees in

English and Psychology.

After my college graduation,

I traveled to a very poor section of Duran, Ecuador with

a volunteer organization to do community outreach,

teach English, and coach soccer and basketball. I first

spent a month in Ecuador's capital city of Quito at a

language school doing an intensive program to learn

Spanish seven hours a day, seven days a week for one

month. I then did my volunteer work for the following six

months.

When I returned home in December of 2000,

I knew I wanted to fulfill my dream of becoming

an elementary school teacher. I was lucky enough to

get a job here at Center School as a Special Education

Teaching Assistant while I went to Southern CT State

University at night to earn my Master's Degree in Early

Childhood Special Education. Along with that, I

completed the program to earn my Teaching Degree

for Preschool through Third Grade.

I spent one year working with children with autism doing

intense therapy and one year as a Permanent Substitute here

at Center School, working in various classrooms to

gain experience and knowledge from veteran teachers.

All these experiences in my adult life have proved invaluable

in my career as a teacher. I was so proud to be hired

as a Kindergarten teacher here at CES in 2003. I taught

at that level for four years and was then switched to

first grade in 2007, so this is my sixteenth year

teaching first grade and twentieth year teaching

full time in a classroom here at Center School!

I have two daughters, ages seventeen and thirteen,

who I am proud to say are also going through the

Brookfield Schools. This year Kaitlyn will be a Senior

at the high school, and Olivia will be in 8th grade at the

middle school!