Who I am?                                  

Background

      I am proud to say that I was born and raised in Columbus.  I graduated from North High School in 1996.  From there the ONLY choice was to the great Indiana University.  I was always passionate about science however, I could not see myself as a lab rat.  Focusing on science education was a no-brainer.  I have an outgoing personality and always enjoyed working with others. 

       Upon recieving my degree, I traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio.  I spent 5 years in the BIG city with my husband, Eric.  My first year I taught Geophysics and Earth Science at Oak Hills H.S.  Upon moving across town, I sought a new position at Loveland Middle school where I spent a wonderful four years.  Two months after our daughter Shayla was born, we decided it was time to move back to be closer to family and the country atmosphere. And here we are!

      This school year represents my 18th year of teaching.  Amazingly enough, seventeen of those years have been spent in the eighth grade.  I love the energy of eighth graders and appreciate all the physical and mental changes that take place.

Family

Below are pictures of my wonderful husband, our beautiful girls, Jax and Einstein :

Educational Philosophy

       To provide a structured learning environment, I teach the curriculum using a student oriented approach. Hands-on, inquiry based activities and labs are my primary mode of instruction. This approach places learning in the hands of the student. Students comprehend information more easily when they assimilate the content through interactive experiences. I have a personal interest with integrating technology. Utilizing modern advances is necessary in today's classroom.

      With my experience, I am confident in my abilities to very efficiently and effectively instruct student learning. My experiences with both the middle and high school level has not altered my professional goal of "raising the bar" on student achievement. My philosophy of establishing high expectations for both academics and classroom behavior encourages my students to strive to reach for their highest potential.