I graduated from Southern Nazarene University in 1996 with my Master's Degree in Elementary Education, specifically Curriculum and Instruction, and received an endorsement in Early Childhood Education. I started my teaching career in 1998 at my Alma Mater (Bethany Public Schools) teaching first grade and remained there for seven years. It was fun walking down the same halls that I had walked down as a child many years ago. In fact, the room in which I taught was my third grade classroom in 1978-79!
I am passionate about teaching children and helping them understand their world better. There's nothing like seeing a child's face when they make a connection and have developed a real understanding of something new. It's priceless!
To further my education as a teacher, I've attended many professional conferences - Great Expectations, Literacy First, Core Knowledge, I Teach First, OK TechMasters, Brain-based Learning, Guided Reading, Schools Attuned, National Council for Teaching Mathematics National Conference-08, National Association for the Education of Young Children National Conference-08, Steve Spangler Science - just to name a few!
In 2008, I received the Educational Leadership Oklahoma scholarship, which is administered by the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation, to pursue my National Board Certification. Becoming an NBCT is a rigorous process involving many hours of work and is typically a 1-3 year process. I found out in November 2009 that I did in fact certify! The journey involved in certifying was one that trained me to be more reflective in my teaching and evaluate the impact my instruction has on student learning. I can honestly say National Boards was the best professional development I have ever participated in and I highly recommend the process to all teachers.
In 2005, to Deer Creek and I began teaching at Rose Union in 2006. My oldest son, Ryan, is currently a freshman at Deer Creek High School (I feel old when I say that!). My daughter, Mollie, is a 5th grader here at Rose Union, and my youngest son, Brady, is a 2nd grader in Mrs. Janz's class. We have a full schedule of activities surrounding our family!
In December of 1991, I married my high school sweetheart, David. He's the love of my life! Now, almost 18 years later, we have three children, two cats - Sugar and Cookie; a Golden Retriever, Scout; and a Westie named Sofie. We love living in the Deer Creek community!
I am delighted to be here at Rose Union teaching second grade! It will be a wonderful year of learning together!