coachspirED

Instructional Coach/Curriculum Specialist with Master’s degree in English and Secondary Education and teaching experience which includes urban middle schools, high school, adult education learners, and teachers from Japan studying America culture and school reform . History of producing highly regarded interdisciplinary/thematic curriculum maps aligned with state and common core standards. Continuous focus on improving writing skills for struggling students.

I have a love for and a strong commitment to the Expeditionary Learning model. I love getting my hands messy in curriculum design by using the backwards planning method to create curriculum maps. This process has taught me to push myself to reevaluate, refine, and reflect on lessons constantly so that every student can make progress and meet every standard. Backwards planning begins with the end in mind, and includes well-developed guiding questions, a focus on field work experiences, guest speakers as experts, and authentic assessments of learning and for learning throughout the entire process. My lessons follow this model. By the end of each unit, students have knowledge that will stay with them for decades to come.

Chosen as Brown University Summer Institute exemplar of teaching strategies for Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself". Chosen by author Ishmael Beah to conduct an honorary school visit Teacher of the month

WESTERN NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE – Springfield, MA Masters of English and Secondary Education, 2011 UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT – Burlington, VT Bachelor’s degree in English and Secondary Education, 1997

Mother of a six year old first; mother of hundreds of children every day.