Who/what inspired you to enter into the education field? 

A very good friend of mine was a Special Education teacher and while teaching summer school during college break I had the opportunity to work with students with special needs and it changed my career path.

Tell us about your family? (children, pets, etc) 

I have been married for ten years and I have two daughters. Sophie Grace who is in 3rd grade and Ellie Kate who is in preschool. We have two dogs and a cat and live on a farm.

What is your Teacher Leader Mission? YOUR WHY in the classroom? How do you #LeadTheCHARGE daily? 

My goal and mission is a simple one “Help and encourage EVERY student to succeed.” My WHY in the classroom would be instilling in all my students WHY education is important and how they can use the strategies that I teach them in my classroom to be successful in their educational path as well as in the community. I work closely with the Social Studies teacher in my building to help modify and teach my students history concepts and use strategies in my classroom that I have learned from CHARGE to help my kids be successful.

What is one attribute of leadership that you think is critical to possess as a Teacher Leader?

I think flexibility and willing to share ideas and work with others is key to success of the school and the overall success of the students.

What are ways that you engage families as part of the learning in your classroom/school? 

We have Family Fun Nights in which we invite our families to come in and participate in curriculum strategies and games that they can use with their children at home. I also communicate with families through DOJO as well as send home process monitoring reports so that parents are informed on how their child is doing in school.

What “fingerprint” or lasting impression do you want to leave at your school or on your students? 

I want my students to know that they are loved and that I believe in them. EVERY student can learn and building a classroom where students know that they are loved and that they matter makes a difference in their lives.

How do you maximize the strengths of those around you? 

We work in PLC’s and collaborate together in teams to ensure student success. I support not only my students but my regular classroom teachers as well. I push in classrooms as much as possible to give my students the “extra” supports that they need as well as working with other students that are not “labeled” as mine. We learn and grow from each other which in turn maximizes ALL our strengths as a staff.

What do you like most about teaching? 

I love making a difference in the lives of kids. We wear so many hats throughout the day, sometimes we are mom, nurse, teacher, counselor, and friend. I get to know all of my students and try to fill the voids that are missing not just in their knowledge but what they are “missing” at home. Having a student come up and hug me or running in and telling me what they made on a test makes my hard days worth it.