"I graduated from college in 1997 with degrees in Elementary Ed & Special Ed. I first worked as a high school special ed teacher and taught subjects from biology to English. I also spent time tutoring students who were on homebound instruction. When I switched schools, I again taught high school special ed but this time it was concentrated on reading, because I had earned my Masters in Reading. We used a program called Corrective Reading. However, I began another program called Reading Apprenticeship, which I (and the students) enjoyed much more. When I changed schools again, I wound up teaching middle school reading. I fell in love with teaching 7th/8th graders. Getting them to love to read was a challenge that I loved to meet each year. I drew on what I learned in my masters program to teach students how to comprehend better, how to improve vocabulary, & how to become better readers. I also got the chance to teach reading remediation to students as young as 4th grade.

In 2023, I received my PhD in Literacy. This gave me a wealth of knowledge that I could use in my classroom to help students become better readers & writers. Currently I am a 6th grade Humanities teacher, which means I get to teach writing, reading, & ancient history in one class! For the history portion, we use the OER Project curriculum and study prehistory all the way up through the Middle Ages. When teaching reading, students are taught reading strategies via mini-lessons and practice both in school and at home. As for writing, we use the Writing Revolution to help the students strengthen their writing skills. They also free write twice a week for ten minutes a time. I am currently tutoring a student in person who needs extra help in reading and writing. We are focusing on reading a book & talking about it, looking at Latin suffixes, and understanding the concept of main idea & details. I really enjoy working one on one with students as it allows me to pinpoint the student's needs. Therefore, I am better able to help them." less...