Inchworm Science

I began my teaching career in the early '90's in a middle-school self-contained classroom serving students with a wide range of abilities. After several years, I moved into the Science Department and found my true calling. Due to several years of teaching multiple grade levels, I have accrued over 10 years of experience teaching Life Sciences to 7th grade students, and 15 years of experience teaching Earth and Space Sciences to 8th grade students.

The best teaching advice I ever received...my principal offered me a position in the Science Dept. and I was unsure. She asked me what I remembered about my own middle school science experience and I told her they were mind-numbingly boring. Her advice was to "teach the way I would have liked to have learned". I took that advice to heart and have never regretted it. I constantly look for new activities and resources that I find exciting and interesting. I'm not afraid to try new ideas and my kids and I will work through them together. I strive to expose my kids to ideas through multiple modalities and experiences, including hands-on and digital resources. I always keep in the back of my mind, "How would I would have wanted to learn this when I was a kid."

Science Dept Chair - 8 years at one school, 6 years at second school Nominated for TOY 4 times

BS - 1998 - Erskine College, SC - Major: Special Ed - Certifications: EMD, TMD, EH, OH, LD - Minor: Elem Ed MS - 2005 - University of Phoenix - Program: Curriculum/Technology Integration Of course, as any educator knows, these decades included multiple workshops, conferences, training seminars, webinars, and all of the usual opportunities experienced teachers are exposed to.

I simply love to teach middle school kids, and I can easily put myself in their places and see where they are struggling. Therefore, I strive to write my materials in a way that addresses these questions before they even become a problem for them.