Background

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My Background

I began teaching as a substitute for Rockwall ISD eight years ago when my four sons were still in elementary school.  At that time, my focus was to become better acquainted with our public school system as a parent as well as to understand the classroom from a teacher’s perspective.  I ended up loving teaching so much that I eventually decided to pursue an EC-6 certification. 

My undergrad degree is a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration as a marketing major from The Ohio State University.  I graduated summa cum laude and 1^st among 800 business graduates, then began a 10 year career in marketing research and consulting prior to motherhood.

This fall semester, I was a student teacher in 5^th and 6^th grade science and math classrooms at Amy Parks-Heath Elementary in Rockwall ISD while taking my alternative certification capstone course through Texas A&M University – Commerce.  I will be a fully certified EC-6 Generalist teacher by January, 2016. I am looking forward to being an engaging and creative STEM teacher with elementary students.

As a teacher, I relish the “aha!” moment, that moment when a student grasps a concept. There's nothing quite like it and knowing that I have played a part in a student's learning is so rewarding. It gives purpose and meaning to my teaching. Relationships are key to being an effective teacher and I take delight in building those critical relationships. I truly enjoy getting to know students' strengths and challenges as I nurture and guide them toward their learning goals.

Through my nine years of teaching, I have had the opportunity to expand my instructional strategies and refine my classroom management style.  Each year brings different challenges and experiences and I willingly modify my teaching as the need arises and as I continue to learn the art of teaching.  I personally love learning and strive to instill that love into my students.  I have been exposed to a variety of teaching styles and personalities over the year, plus I have experienced many different types of children from varying backgrounds.  I understand that being a teacher requires immense preparation and great flexibility, as well as timely, compassionate, and high quality reactions to students’ ideas, questionings, and desires.

My husband and I have been married for 20 years and have four boys in 12^th, 10^th, 9^th, and 7^th grades.  It has been such a pleasure and a challenge raising our sons.  This experience offers me a priceless perspective toward teaching others’ children.  My family, including our two large dogs, loves to travel to Colorado and the North Eastern part of the United States to hike and camp.  We moved to Texas twelve years ago to live on Lake Ray Hubbard so we could enjoy sailing and watch sunsets over the water.  It has been a wonderful, peaceful place to raise our boys.

For the last eight years, my family and I have been committed to promoting the development of STEM knowledge throughout our community.  We are deeply involved with VEX robotics at the elementary and middle school levels and with FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) at the high school level.  I have truly appreciated and learned from the students I have come to know through this STEM connection, and have witnessed their knowledge and confidence grow through these programs.

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