"For the last 18+ years, I have worked with pre-k through 12 grade in the public school system as a state-certified sign language interpreter. I have done everything from basic required school courses to carpentry, welding, and culinary. They're honestly all my favorites. I've found that through my years in the classroom and understanding how children learn, that not all of them are successful in the same setting, but they can all be successful if given the chance to grow.

I love to read and write. I adore languages. I speak ASL fluently, can read/write/speak a good bit of French, and even less Spanish, and I am usually able to pick out accents well. I love poetry and the rhythm of words. I enjoy editing and proofreading as well.

Working closely with children who don't speak English fluently (deaf/hard of hearing), and their speech therapists, to help them succeed in a predominantly English-speaking world, has been one of the top focuses of those who wish to learn more spoken English. While most d/hh individuals don't speak the same way most others do, it is important for them to learn, as it gives them a better foundation. I have also been trained in the C-Print program, which I've used alongside my interpreting job, in the classroom, for those students who do not know sign language but have hearing deficiencies. The captioning program is an abbreviation system based on phonetics, similar to what a stenographer does.

I competed in spelling bees as a child, from school to the state level. I continued with my love of spelling as an adult by playing fingerspelling games with the children I worked with, to encourage them to become better spellers.

I am a firm believer in child-led education. Everyone learns differently, and it's time we started to foster this process, to make it what it really is: fun and exciting, because there is no rule that says learning has to be boring." less...