Personal Information

         Kids are a real joy to me.  I believe that they are “gifts from above”!  Being  from a large family, I feel right at home in the classroom.  I’ve been married to the love of my life, Fred for many wonderful years.  In fact, I'm excited to celebrate our 40 Wedding Anniversary in 2024!!  We have 2 adult sons, Marcus (38) and Matthew (36) and a daughter-in-“love”, Bridget (37) who lives with Marcus.  We're blessed to have 5 grandchildren: Sophia (7), Cullen (4), Kolsyn (3), Paris (2) and Kaden (1).  We all live in Sycamore, IL.   I have worked in public education since 1994. (Aurora, Geneva and Sycamore)  Professionally, I’ve taught Kindergarten, Third, and Fourth grades.  2023-2024 marks my 20 year teaching in Sycamore schools.  Prior to entering the public school arena, I was a Day Care Center Director and pre-school teacher for 14 years.  Interestingly enough, my life has always centered around children – from Sunday School Teacher to Camp Counselor and everything in between.   

 Philosophy of Teaching and Learning

          I believe that education is a cooperative partnership between teachers, students & parents.  This partnership works best when all partners are actively involved in the learning process!  My role is to provide a safe and challenging environment which fosters learning through discovery & problem solving.  Even before Howard Gardner declared publicly, I've long believed in multiple intelligences, not simply reading, writing, and arithmetic.  My goal is to hone in on each child’s intelligence(s) to discover how they learn best while having fun and celebrating their success along the way!!  My hope is that children leave 3rd grade with an unquenchable thirst for understanding and become "life-long" problem solvers, particularly when life is hard!!

Educational Background

2009, Type 75 Certificate in “Administration”  -  Aurora University, Aurora

2001, M.A. degree in “Leadership/Curriculum & Technology"-St. Xavier, Chicago 

1997, M.A.T. degree in “Early Childhood Education”-National Louis University, Wheaton

1991, B.A degree in “Applied Behavioral Science” - National Louis University, Wheaton

1986, A.A degree in “Early Childhood Education” - Waubonsee Community College, Sugar Grove