After 24 years in education, my enthusiasm for the work has not even slightly dimmed. Instead, it burns brighter than ever. How can our field be anything but exciting when we know more now than we ever have about how the brain learns? The implications of that understanding are vast. We now have all the tools we need for developing students socially, emotionally, and intellectually. As an instructional coach, district RLA and G/T coordinator, principal, author, and teacher of students in elementary school through college, I have researched broadly and found many keys that unlock student potential and illuminate the classroom with the enjoyment of learning. Time and again, I have witnessed how students flourish when teachers make the right moves. I want to share these approaches so that teachers can experience the joyful teaching that keeps my love of education aflame.

My desire to be a teacher extends far back into the past when I, as a kindergarten student, began teaching my younger siblings to talk and read. Many moons later, I still find every opportunity to teach. Blessed with a devoted husband of almost 33 years and extraordinarily kind children, I have felt entirely supported in pursuing my passion as an educator. Soon, I will be a grandmother. I have already begun researching ideas for teaching this little person about the beautiful world surrounding us.

I look forward to exchanging philosophies and learning alongside you. Together, we can discover powerful ways to intertwine science and art into the glorious fabric of teaching.