NoBox

I have been learning from and teaching Reading and literacy success to middle school (6th and 7th grade students) for nine years. I have had the opportunity to learn from students with wide ranges of learning disabilities, as well as those who are gifted, those who are unidentified gifted, and the full range of students in between. Prior to teaching, I ran a children's ministry for preschool-5th grade where I taught weekly lessons as well as wrote curriculum for performances, engaging lessons, and summer Bible school. Currently I am teaching in a Title 1 (majority of students live on or below poverty level) school, helping students understand how smart and capable they are.

I lean heavily on the Socratic method to help guide students on their way to discovering and owning new knowledge, as well as deepening current knowledge. Many of my lessons begin with a question, and allow students the freedom to develop and research questions of their own. I have seen firsthand the benefits of cooperative learning, engaging in meaningful conversation, and tying lessons into real-world issues to develop critical thinking skills. No matter the standard or Common Core benchmark, my aim is to always help students be prepared for success in life outside the classroom, and getting middle school people to be independent thinkers by designing lessons in which they depend less on me and more on their own strengths is a key component in my teaching style.

First Year Teacher of the Year (one of my proudest) Florida Writers Association, Royal Palm Literacy Award, "Uprooted", self-published middle grades fantasy fiction Faculty Sponsor, 2012-13 River Springs Yo-Yo Club

M.A. in English, Philosophy/Religion, minor in Youth Ministry at Flagler College, St. Augustine, Florida M.Div Asbury Theological Seminary

I am a mama to lacrosse playing sons and a Boston Terrier, wife, and lover of dark chocolate. In my spare time I write stories aimed at the world of my students. Many times, I am the minority race in my classroom, and it has taught me far more than any professional development. My heart and mind has grown, especially when I hear firsthand accounts of what students are living out, played against the background of our culture.