A. My Background

I was born in Omaha, Nebraska. After high school, I moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue my undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt University. I graduated in 2001 with a double major in Elementary Education and Cognitive Studies (an interdisciplinary degree focusing on psychology, child development, and the learning sciences).

My first teaching position was in Kankakee, Illinois. I taught second grade in a Title I elementary school and spent time tutoring third graders, writing curriculum, and learning from other teachers. After two years, I moved back to Omaha, Nebraska, and accepted a position at another Title I elementary school. Upon returning to my home town, I taught fourth grade and served in a variety of teacher leadership roles.

After two years of mentoring teachers who sought my help, I decided to go back to school to learn how to be a more effective teacher leader. So I moved to Lansing, Michigan, to work on my doctorate. At Michigan State University, I had the tremendous good fortune to work with, and learn from, faculty members such as Dr. Nell Duke, Dr. Carol Sue Englert, Dr. Patricia Edwards, Dr. Douglas Hartman, Dr. Mary Juzwik, Dr. Samantha Caughlan, and Dr. Janine Certo. In addition to my coursework, I conducted research, taught undergraduate and graduate literacy methods courses, presented at national conferences, and partnered with schools and organizations to help teachers to achieve professional goals. In 2011, I submitted my dissertation entitled “Exploring Informational Text Comprehension: Reading Biography, Persuasive Text, and Procedural Text in the Elementary Grades” and graduated with my Ph.D.

During the summer of 2011, I moved to Greensboro, North Carolina, and joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. To faciltiate my pursuit of collaborative, community-engaged literacy scholarship, I transitioned to Ball State University in 2015, where I continue to teach undergraduate and graduate courses, conduct research, publish, and partner with schools and teachers.