Biography: I spent my childhood huddled under a pile of books in Spanish Lake, Missouri. At age 15 my parents and I moved to Mesa, Arizona. I finished high school there and then kept the Westward migration going by heading out to California for college. I received my teaching certificate in Elementary Education from Humblodt State University in waaaaay Northern California among the redwood trees. From there I was city bound, living in San Francisco for a few years while postponing my impending adulthood. From there I headed south to spend several years teaching in Costa Rica and Guatemala, and there was a year mixed in there as a third grade teacher in Austin, Texas. While in Costa Rica, I tapped into my pioneering spirit when I opened a school on the beach that served ex-pat primary-age kids and middle-aged sportfishing captains needing to learn English.
Once I turned thirty, I realized I wanted to teach in a more established educational system to enjoy all of the opportunites for growth and development that come with it, and I wanted to do that in St. Louis! Why? (Who leaves the tropics for St. Louis?!) Well, I was feeling the pull of the tide of my gene pool back here in Metro St. Louis, as I have a ton of family on both sides of the river. Another reason why I came back to St. Louis was I wanted to buy a house, and we all know STL is a great place to do that.
I started teaching at McKinley just a few months after my return to my Midwestern roots. I chose McKinley because I had felt a kinship to the gifted students I had had in my regular education class in Austin. Once at McKinley, I received my Gifted Certification from Maryville University and settled in! Apparently, it has been a good fit beccause the 2021/2022 school year will be my nineteenth year as a Goldbug! I taught sixth grade for eight years, seventh grade for two years, and I have been teaching eighth grade for the past eight years. And this year will be my second year of this second foray into teaching sixth grade. again...back where I started!
I love sharing literature with young people and helping them improve as communicators in their writing, speaking and listening. And, while giving them a strong foundation in the language arts, I hope to foster individuality while raising their awareness of their potential impact on the local and world community.
