CreatedByMsM

I am a 30 year veteran teacher in kindergarten and first grade. I have taught ML kindergarten, same gender kindergarten and mixed gender kindergarten. I have taught students with autism, ADD, bipolarism, learning disabilities- including dyslexia, speech impediments, multilanguage learners and academically gifted students. One thing is the same about all students. They are all capable of learning and want to learn new things!

I teach students using multisensory activities. Students need visuals, sound cues and movement in their learning to activate multiple parts of the brain and to help the learning stick.

I was honored to be my school's teacher of the year for the 2018-2019 school year. I also served as a member of my districts implementation team for standards-based grading and learning in 2020-2021. For the next 3 years I helped my school make the transition to SBGL. I was elected the president of our district's teacher union serving from 2019-2023. However my biggest shining moments occurred when students were able to demonstrate their learning and growth in being good citizens, showing kindness, academics and self-esteem. These moments were celebrated within the walls of our classroom often and with a sense of family at the forefront!

I was awarded the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Scholarship as a senior in high school. I attended and graduated from Appalachian State University with my Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with a concentration in Spanish in 1995. I earned my Master of Arts in Elementary Education from Gardner-Webb University in 1999.

I am an independent, hard-working, creative and spiritual person. I have a logical brain that likes to solve puzzles yet I like expressing myself through singing, painting, drawing and photography. My hobbies include gentle hiking, reading, being in nature and spending time with friends and family. I am who I am today because of the influence of those around me.