I recently had one of my students ask me what I had wanted to be when I was a kid, and my quick response was a teacher.  In truth, from a young age I dreamed of having children of my own to love, teach, and nurture.  I also wanted to have a career somewhere in the field of education.  Fortunately, throughout the course of my life, I have been extremely blessed and have seen the realization of these hopes and aspirations.  My student also wanted to know what made me want to be a teacher.  My best response was that since I come from what I view as and extended line of wonderful teachers on both sides of my family- some of whom were formally educated, others not; it just seemed like the natural path for me to choose.  Now as I give these simple questions greater thought, I can see that my desire to share what I know and learn with children has not been a great stretch for me, but rather a simple extension of who I am due to the generations that have preceded me.

 I have been very fortunate to have had numerous opportunities to work in the field of education over the past three decades as a para-professional, parent volunteer, and most recently a teacher of both fourth and fifth grades.  My husband and I have three wonderful grown children of our own; two daughters and a son.  Having children of my own has undoubtedly provided me with the best "clinical experiences" possible.  My three children could not possibly be more different if they tried, and I have learned volumes from each of them.  From my oldest daughter, I have learned the value of humor and patience.  From my son, who is also my middle child, I have learned the value of the art of persuasion, and patience.  From my youngest daughter, I have learned the value of having big dreams, and through honest effort and patience the wonder of watching them come true.  As you have probably noticed, there is a common thread in the important things that I have learned from each child, and that is patience.  I feel that as an educator this is undoubtedly my greatest strength.  Life lessons have repeatedly taught me this lesson in one way or another, and I now recognize that somewhere along the journey I have become a very patient and tolerant person. 

I have many passions in life; the first being my family.  Next to them, I love animals and nature.  I love beautiful music, art, traveling, and reading good books.  My favorite subjects to teach are Math, Music, and Social Studies.  My favorite day of the year is today... especially when it's my birthday!