I am a retired elementary school teacher / art educator, a working artist, and a writer. My professional teaching career began in San Jose, CA in 1988 in a third grade classroom. I soon moved to 2/3 combination classes and then spent four years teaching in a Multiage 1-2-3 program, which I started with a colleague. I have also taught a 4/5 combination class and Kindergarten, and have worked specifically with GATE students, ELL students, and at-risk students in all elementary grades, In my last two years of teaching before I retired in 2010, I taught Art to Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade students for two years. For me, teaching Art was coming full circle. In addition to my work in the classroom, I have written articles on teaching, written lessons professionally, maintained a number of websites and blogs, and facilated math, language, and art workshops for teachers and parents.