Meet the Teacher

The Basics

I love teaching. Fifth grade is a particularly memorable year in the heart of childhood. This is my fourth year at LME and my tenth year teaching. I am English as a Second Language/TAG certified and a Teach for America (Kansas City 2012 corps) alumni. I have two small children. and I can't wait until they are old enough to join us at LME! I enjoy taking photos, hiking, baking, and Texas.

My Childhood

My family is Appalachian. I am the first person to attend college! I lived in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio as a child. My mom and I both play mandolin. My first concert was Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival in Bean Blossom, Indiana when I was two months old! When I was young I wanted to be...a teacher! I am an only child and participated in 4-H for 10 years. My 4-H projects were usually vegetable gardening, photography, and cake decorating. It is a myth that you have to show animals to participate in 4H! There are hundreds of urban 4H project choices. In high school I ran track. I ran the 400 meter dash and relay.

My Education

I went to college 750 miles away from my high school at Wichita State University in Kansas. Our mascot is a shock of wheat! Many WSU students study aerospace engineering because there are many aircraft industries in Wichita. I studied elementary education and French. During school I worked as an AVID tutor for 9th-12th graders. I have actually been working since I was 13! My first job was cleaning computers at school over the summer.

Can you find me?

This is my 5th grade class! My favorite teacher of elementary school was my 5th grade teacher. Her name was Ms. Belden. She was born in France, but immigrated to Nicaragua as a baby before moving to America as an adult. I still remember some of the stories she told about her childhood! She was the first teacher to make me care about school and consider going to college. She made me feel very important and boosted my self-assurance. That year I joined a group called M2SE (Minorities in Math Science and Engineering), and I was in 4H (which I talked about earlier). Ms. Belden planted an interest in learning other languages by teaching us a little Spanish and teaching us about Central America. It was a great year. Thanks Ms. Belden!