I feel so fortunate to be teaching at Central Elementary School in such a wonderful community. After

teaching kindergarten for three years and 1 st grade for two here at Central, I am in my eigth year in 2 nd

grade.

A little bit about myself…. I was raised in South Carolina and attended college at Furman University in

Greenville, SC. There I majored in Early Childhood/ Elementary Education. After graduation I moved to the

“big city” in the southeast (Atlanta, Georgia). I worked for Gwinnett County Public Schools as a kindergarten,

1 st grade, 2 nd grade, and ESL teacher for almost 25 years. During that time, I earned my master’s in Early

Childhood Education from the University of Georgia and my National Board Certification. I also obtained my

ESOL endorsement with the school system as our student population became more diverse over the years.

When I am not in school, I enjoy running, biking, hiking, and spectating many sports (especially football).

In addition, I like to seek out a good book, movie or play :O). Another passion for me is traveling. I have had

a few opportunities to mix teaching and travel. As a kindergarten teacher, I taught in England as an exchange

teacher. Other places I have been on educational grants are Germany and Japan. Also, I had the privilege of

presenting professional development courses to teachers in the Presbyterian schools of the Punjab province

in Pakistan.

I decided to move my life from Georgia to Colorado when I got married in November of 2011. My husband

was living out here; so, I joined him here in 2012 and gained 2 wonderful step-daughters. One is married and

lives with her husband in Minneapolis where she is in her 4 th year in a PhD in microbiology at the University of

Minnesota. The other is starting her 3 rd year of teaching (1 st grade) in the Denver area.. It has been a blessing

to add this chapter to my life. I feel so grateful to be here and teaching at a school like Central Elementary