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Though I grew up in Douglasville, Georgia, I have called Greenville home for the past 20 years. This is my eleventh year teaching in Greenville County Schools, and I'm excited to begin my fourth year as part of the Stone Academy staff! Working at a school where art is the focus, not just an add on, is a dream come true!
I earned a B.S. in Early Childhood Education and a M.S. in Educational Psychology from Georgia State University. I also earned a Gifted and Talented Endorsement from Furman University. I began my teaching career in 1997 at Harriet Tubman Elementary School in Atlanta, GA. Over the past 20+ years, my path has taken me in lots of different directions, including teaching third and sixth grades. I have also tutored striving writers and worked for the Upstate Writing Project, where I had the pleasure of consulting with teachers in Greenville and Anderson counties. In the middle of it all, I experienced the joy of being a stay at home mom for eight years, where I had some of my best training as I watched child development up close and personal!
In 2023, I had the honor of begin chosen as the recipient of the Donald H. Graves Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Writing, awarded by the National Council of Teachers of English. This recognition provides me with a platform to advocate for students' rights to understand and honor their individual writing process as they develop writing skill and, more importantly, a love for writing. While I love nudging other teachers towards being responsive teachers of writing, I think that getting to watch a group of third graders grow as writers throughout the 180 days of a school year is the best gig ever!
Overall, I believe that school should be a place where students feel loved, valued, and encouraged to explore. I also believe that each and every one of my students is capable of setting high standards for themselves, and I strive to give all students the tools that they will need to be successful as maturing, independent learners. My goal for each of my students is to not only develop a love of learning but to also build the belief that a clear goal, a solid plan, and a lot of hard work is the key to success in third grade and beyond!
When I'm not teaching, I enjoy hanging out with my family and our two pets, Apollo (a GIANT rabbit) and Oliver (the best rescue dog ever). We love to get out in nature to hike, bike, and camp, but we're also very content to curl up together on the couch for family movie night. I also love making art and, as my Grandaddy would say, "piddlin" in the yard.
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