As far back as I can remember, my answer to "What do you want to be when you grow up?" was "I want to be a teacher…like my mom!"

I graduated from Western Michigan University with my Bachelor of Science Degree in Education in 1989.  I had no idea how fortunate I was to be chosen as the new teacher at Kazoo School when I began that fall!  Kazoo School embraced me as a new teacher in the same way it embraces its students.  The community warmly welcomed me.  I was encouraged to learn by doing, to grow from my mistakes and to dive into my creativity!   I taught in primary level classrooms for nine years.  In 1998, I was hired to teach first grade in the public schools.

My daughter, Madeline, was born in 2000 and then two years later, my son, Charlie.  I reveled in the joys of motherhood and expanded my understanding of the role of "teacher".  When my children were old enough to be at Kazoo School I joined the Kazoo School Board of Trustees.  I served on the Board for 6 years, 3 of those as the Board Chair.  With my children in school, I relish the opportunity to be back in the classroom.

I love to spend time with my family and friends, to read, and to putter in my garden.  I enjoy traveling.  Between college graduation and starting my family I went on several world adventures including traveling through Turkey, sailing on the Aegean Sea, camping in the Peruvian rain forest and finding my relatives in County Kildare, Ireland.  I have taken many masters level classes (40+ credits) but have not settled upon a masters degree program to complete.

I am committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for our children to explore, create, grow and learn.  I believe that students need ample opportunities to collaborate and cooperate to achieve a goal.  Students should have opportunities to develop communication skills and be supported in discovering ways to resolve the conflicts that arise whenever groups of people work together.  I believe that nothing is more important than doing all that we can to ensure that our children grow up with their curiosity intact, feeling hopeful, and able to intelligently and creatively tackle challenges.  I hope that in visiting my classroom you will see evidence of this commitment!