Born overseas in Bangkok, Thailand because my father was a diplomat in the Foreign Service and worked for the Department of State
Raised in suburban MD but attended middle school in Indonesia; then left home for boarding school at age 15 ~ LOVED IT
Attended Longwood University and earned a Master’s degree Special Education
Taught first at an alternative wilderness program in FL and then a boarding school in New Mexico
Moved to Wake Forest NC in 2000 and taught in WCPSS ever since; I have worked at Leesville Road High School and HMS
A proud Patriot at HMS since 2007; first teaching special education and then ELA in 2012. Moving from track 4 ELA to track 1 Social Studies this year and I’m super excited !
Happily married to a fellow teacher at Rolesville Middle School; our beautiful family includes 28 yo son living and working in New Bern NC, 18 yo daughter (off to college at Brandeis University in Boston) and my 15 yo son (HHS sophomore).
Cohabit with our sweet golden retriever, Dany, a super exuberant German Shepard named Cooper and a very uppity cat
Enjoy time at the beach but LOVE the mountains and /love to travel/shop/read and eat !!
I am a lifelong learner. I would love to go back to college and learn from people smarter than me. I am fascinated by the human story and the dynamics of how we interact with the world around us. I love to read historical fiction and my favorite thing to eat is chips and salsa. One day I hope to retire in a RV and travel all over seeing all the lighthouses I can. I don't enjoy coffee but love Dr. Pepper and Reese's PB cups and I prefer the mountains to the beach.
I believe kids are complex, imperfect little people who challenge, reward, inspire, exhaust, fascinate and infuriate me. I believe kids will make mistakes and need both forgiveness AND consequences in order to learn how to do "life". I believe that all kids can learn, that education does not only happen in a classroom and that if I focus on WHO I'm teaching along with WHAT I'm teaching - that we all find a little more joy in the school day.
If you were to ask me "what is the most important thing for my child to learn in middle school" - it is that your child CAN DO HARD THINGS. Let your child fail (not the school year, just a task or an assignment). Let your child experience disappointment, discomfort and dismay. Do not fix everything… this is not what your child needs. Students will survive and indeed thrive when they face and overcome challenges themselves. So yes, teach your children that "they can do hard things".
WHEN WE KNOW BETTER,
WE DO BETTER
These words came from the great poet and humanitarian, Maya Angelou. History is the story of our shared human experience and it is made every day. How can we create a more beautiful world if we ignore the past? If we don’t go back and critically examine ourselves and our structures and our societies then how do we make the world a better place for our children? How can our communities serve the needs of all our citizens If we don’t push ourselves to learn more and be more… more kind, more inclusive, more loving and more grateful.