"Hi, I'm Mary. I have found education to be one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. I believe that I have made a difference as an educator because of my positive, progressive thinking and my ability to effectively establish a positive rapport with my students. I believe that anyone can learn and will learn when given the right opportunity.

I have been in education for twenty-five years, with six (6) years as a Literacy Specialist (three years for a school district and three years for an education service cooperative). I have a Bachelors of Science degree in Secondary English, a Master of Science degree in Reading, and an Education Specialist degree in Management and Supervision of Curriculum and Instruction. I also have earned forty-nine (49) credit hours towards a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership. I am certified by the Arkansas Department of Education for Building Level Principal P-8, Building Level Principal 7-12, Reading Specialist P-12, Curriculum Specialist P-12, Secondary English 7-12 with Middle Level (5-8) Endorsement.

I believe in doing whatever it takes to help students learn. My most pleasurable moments as a teacher come when a student "gets it," understands and can move forward. As the student is learning from me, I am also learning from the student. I love that we can both grow.

As an educator, I don't like to put myself in a box. I love English Language Arts, I love languages, and I love teaching. For the past six months, I have been teaching ESL English online to students ages of four to twelve. I have spent the last fifteen years providing training and professional development to teachers and administrators on implementing effective literacy strategies in all content areas. I also have ten years of classroom teaching experience instructing students in the proper of use grammar, vocabulary, mechanics, and sentence structures. I taught them to analyze literary texts and to compose analytical responses to prompts applying effective rhetorical devices.

Whether a beginne" less...