My Story

I'm driven and organized, but I also love to create. Over the years, I've enjoyed teaching, but inventing fresh learning experiences makes my heart sing! Let me walk you through my different careers:

I got my start in writing curriculum as a brand new elementary classroom educator. Because of an oversight, my school didn't supply me with any teacher's guides that first year: I had to create my own. It was a rocky start, but I soon learned what worked. After a few years, I was asked to design supplemental curriculum and summer enrichment camps for my school district. 

When I became an educational entrepreneur, I consulted for a textbook company and created STEM enrichment classes, clubs, and summer camps. The success of my business depended on me! I analyzed the needs of my stakeholders and then designed and developed some great learning material. As each course ended, I used feedback from surveys to improve the content. That iterative design model still influences me today.

For my next career change, I jumped into gifted education. I loved the creative challenge of making learning solutions for some very sophisticated characters. This job was in a brand-new charter school: all the excitement of a start-up business but without the glamor (and lucrative pay!) I found myself doing lots of extra jobs like adult mentoring, compliance records, and training. I learned all about project management by running publicity events, robotics programs, seminars, and simulations.

Budget cuts at the charter school left me looking elsewhere for employment. An old colleague lured me to a new position teaching middle-school STEM. We built some fantastic learning projects because we collaborated together: two heads are better than one. I don't think I've ever been happier in a job.

But then the Covid 19 pandemic took all the joy out of teaching. I left the classroom and became an educational administrator. I researched and wrote district polices, maintained compliance records, and taught teachers how to use a new LMS.  But my favorite assignment was creating e-learning courses for teachers. I learned how to create animated videos and built scenario-based instruction. 

Unfortunately, the pandemic created a teacher shortage. I was not too thrilled when I was reassigned to classroom teaching. When the opportunity came for me to provide care for my parents AND attend graduate school, I jumped at the chance. All the work for my Master of Science in Educational Psychology was online. Suddenly it was me who got to experience the pros and cons of e-learning from a student's point of view. I also learned a lot about learning theory and current educational research.

I used any free time in graduate school to squeeze every benefit I could.  I looked into Angela Duckworth's research on grit, Carol Dweck's work on mindsets, and many research studies on how habits are formed. I also volunteered as an adult mentor for a 12-step program, helped to found a mentoring program for young mothers, and practiced public speaking for adult audiences. 

In my down time I enjoy cooking and conversation with my hubby and our grown sons, chase after our Whoodle puppy, enjoy the mixed results of my flower garden, make feeble attempts at yoga, and eagerly devour historical fiction.