Language Arts Classroom

I have taught for over a decade at four diverse settings. I began teaching at a "typical" high school in Illinois. I then taught for a year at an alternative school, grades 6-12. Throughout the past decade, I have instructed ACT prep (English, reading, writing) through a local community college. Today I teach freshmen and sophomores at a wonderful school in Illinois. After teaching a variety of students, my heart truly is with high school students. I also have written in the educational channel at Bright Hub and for the educational section at Everything Mom. My writing can also be found at PBS NewsHour.

I am very systematic. Organization and structure are key for a safe and productive learning environment. When students understand expectations, they are willing to strive to meet them. With my teaching materials, I have clear instructions and diverse activities. With the introduction of the Common Core, a need for valuable and diverse grammar activities came to the teaching community. I teach the bulk of my grammar assignments from literature, so students can learn grammar as a natural part of language arts. Students learn best if their teachers provide them with a variety of learning methods. Creating so many activities is time consuming, especially in a world where time is so short. I am so happy to provide and buy lesson plans, worksheets, and testing materials.

In over ten years of teaching, I have applied for and received five classroom grants. My master's research project was published in ERIC Digest.

BS--Southern Illinois University at Carbondale 2001 MA--Saint Xavier University 2008

Visit my educational blog: languageartsclassroom.com where I discuss ideas and tricks for the secondary English classroom. I am on Facebook too, where I will announce sales and specials! https://www.facebook.com/LanguageArtsRooms