I was the kid who played school on the weekends and summer so I was destined to be a teacher. I love teaching and have taught everything from preschool 4th grade. I was a teacher of a multi-age first and second grade class for 13 years before moving to a gifted/high achieving fourth grade class 6 years ago. I have decided that my favorite grade is whatever I happen to be teaching.
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Welcome!
Welcome to my website, I am honored that you have taken the time to visit!
I am fortunate to teach my class of 23 students in Coral Springs, Florida and also work with teachers and students across our country in a variety of settings.
Many classrooms that I visit look like they belong in my school, even if they are hundreds or thousands of miles away from me. But then something like sleds hanging in the hallway in Wisconsin, snowmobiles and cross-country skis in a school parking lot in Maine, and horses over the fence from the schoolyard in Colorado remind me that I am not home! The little lizards that try to sneak into our classrooms in South Florida might surprise you.
We teachers have so much in common despite our geography and climate. We all have that one or two kids in each class who like to pull their arms into their t-shirts, the few who like to chew on the top of their shirt, the child-sized mother hens who help classmates get organized, and chicken nugget day or pizza day are the busiest days in the cafeteria. I am also struck with what my fellow teachers are facing: hungry students whose only meal will be the free breakfast and lunch at school, a student whose only hug or word of encouragement that day will be from the teacher, classroom supplies that are limited, out-of-date textbooks, knowledge of an alphabet soup of mandated mnemonics, the demands of new and more curriculum, and increased expectancies for students. I leave each school amazed and inspired by my fellow teachers.
I am hoping that my little website will provide you with a few novel ideas that you can bring to your classroom. We know that teaching in engaging ways creates understanding, and I am happy to share ideas of mine that have worked for me!
Welcome to my website, I am honored that you have taken the time to visit!
I am fortunate to teach my class of 23 students in Coral Springs, Florida and also work with teachers and students across our country in a variety of settings.
Many classrooms that I visit look like they belong in my school, even if they are hundreds or thousands of miles away from me. But then something like sleds hanging in the hallway in Wisconsin, snowmobiles and cross-country skis in a school parking lot in Maine, and horses over the fence from the schoolyard in Colorado remind me that I am not home! The little lizards that try to sneak into our classrooms in South Florida might surprise you.
We teachers have so much in common despite our geography and climate. We all have that one or two kids in each class who like to pull their arms into their t-shirts, the few who like to chew on the top of their shirt, the child-sized mother hens who help classmates get organized, and chicken nugget day or pizza day are the busiest days in the cafeteria. I am also struck with what my fellow teachers are facing: hungry students whose only meal will be the free breakfast and lunch at school, a student whose only hug or word of encouragement that day will be from the teacher, classroom supplies that are limited, out-of-date textbooks, knowledge of an alphabet soup of mandated mnemonics, the demands of new and more curriculum, and increased expectancies for students. I leave each school amazed and inspired by my fellow teachers.
I am hoping that my little website will provide you with a few novel ideas that you can bring to your classroom. We know that teaching in engaging ways creates understanding, and I am happy to share ideas of mine that have worked for me!
