Effective Immediately

I began teaching at the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year as a high school English teacher (I taught English II and VI). Since then I have taught grades 6-8 English/Language Arts for 9 years; and returned to the high school setting for the 2022-2023 year.

Developing personal relationships with students is probably the most important to my personal teaching style, and also what I feel is the most significant contributor to the success I have experienced as an educator. I pay close attention to the information shared by students in beginning of the year "get to know you" activities, and use this information as much as possible in developing activities and resources that make my content relevant to as many of my students as possible. In doing this, not only do I make learning fun (even for some of the most reluctant learners), but I also instill a sense of trust in them that makes them more willing to receive any information I present to them.

- Product of the NC Teaching Fellows Program - Member of Craven County Schools' 2012-2013 Rookie Team - Principal's Pride award for 2013-2014 - Highest EVAAS growth in ELA at Southwest Middle for 2018-2019 - Tech Savvy Teacher of the Year at White Oak High School for 2022-2023 and 2024-2025 - AVID Teacher of the Year at White Oak High School for 2022-2023, 2023-2024, and 2024-2025 - White Oak High School Teacher of the Year for 2024-2025 (went on to be a top 5 finalist for Onslow County Schools Teacher of the Year) - Appointed to Josh Stein’s Governor’s Teacher Advisory Committee for 2025-2027 term

I attended high school in Jacksonville, NC (White Oak High School), where I graduated in the top ten percent of my class. I am a product of the NC Teaching Fellows Program, having attended North Carolina Central University 2008-2012, from which I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English (a concentration in Secondary Education, and a minor in Writing). I completed certification in teaching Academically and Intellectually Gifted (AIG) students from UNC Wilmington in 2023. I am currently working toward a Masters in Instructional Technology, also from UNC Wilmington.

The title of my store comes from an experience I had during my sixth year of teaching. I suffer from seasonal affective disorder, commonly referred to as "winter blues." A particularly rough spell of SAD left me questioning if teaching was really right for me, and the only response anyone seemed to give when I confided in them was, "It's normal to feel this way sometimes." It reached the point where I was literally afraid of my job. My initial resignation letter informed my principal of about a one-week notice, since that was all I thought I could take. When an attempt was made to get me to stay 30 days, the wording was then changed to reflect that my resignation would be "effective immediately," and I was gone by the end of my planning period. Four months later, I was missing teaching miserably. It was even during the time while I was away from the classroom that I began uploading more products into my TPT store! I am now back in a classroom (in a new district.... Thank God for fresh starts 🙌🏾) with a renewed love for the field of education! I hope that the use of some of my resources will help other educators to minimize the time used developing materials for your classes so that you are able to prioritize your self care.