It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to my website! Please take time to explore the information included herein. The information included on this particular page will give you a glimpse of my teaching philosophy and expectations. However, while I have tried to be comprehensive in preparing this site, I may have overlooked details that you might find important or interesting. Please feel free to email or call me with your ideas, suggestions, and any questions you have. It is my policy to be available to both students and their parents, in order to establish a network for academic success.

Contents

• Personal Background
• Professional Background
• Teaching Philosophy and Expectations
• Contact Information

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Personal Background

In October 2002, my family and I relocated to Centennial from Scottsdale, Arizona, after my husband, Rick, accepted a music director position in Greenwood Village. The move has been a positive one for our family, and we are enjoying our new lives here.

We are a blended family of eight. Our oldest daughter is married and lives in La Quinta, California. Our second daughter is a hair designer in Littleton, Colorado. Our oldest son is a sophomore at Oklahoma State University, majoring in Construction Management/Civil Engineering.  Our second and youngest son is a senior at Arapahoe High school. Our third daughter is a sophomore at Azusa Pacific University in California, majoring in Communications.  Finally, our youngest daughter is a sophomore at La Quinta High School where she plays water polo. 

Believe it or not, teachers do have lives of their own, outside of the classroom and away from lesson planning and grading!  It seems as if we have a revolving door at our home, with teenagers coming and going all the time.  Whether it's the entire family, a part of the family, or just Rick and I, our hobbies include traveling, hiking, camping, games, music, and a variety of sports. 

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Professional Background

I received my undergraduate training at Oklahoma State University in the early 1980's, obtaining an undergraduate degree with honors  in political science and public administration. My graduate work in Curriculum Instruction and Design was completed at University of Phoenix .

My earliest career intentions were focused on the political arena, and I was heavily involved in local, state and national level politics in southern California for several years. After the 1992 election I turned my sights toward education and began the adventure in elementary, secondary, and adult education. After a brief time, it became clear that high school and college were the places for me, and this has become my passion.

My teaching experience includes time with underprivileged, inner-city students as well as privileged suburban students. I have taught a variety of subjects, including English, language arts, humanities, American history, and world history. Additionally, I can often be found facilitating Developmental Reading courses at our local community colleges and adult education courses online with Axia College of the University of Phoenix.

While in the Scottsdale school district I was identified as a Master teacher, serving as department chair and teaching mentor. Other responsibilites included National Junior Honor Society advisor, Site Council advisory member, Geography Bee coordinator, A+ contributing writer, Teacher-Student Mentoring Program coordinator, and WINGS support program for mentoring teenage girls advisor. One of my proudest moments was when the Veterans of Foreign Wars awarded me with the Teacher of the Year award for the state of Arizona in May 2001.

I spend my spring breaks and summers undertaking a variety of traveling adventures, including leading student and adult tours in Europe, facilitating young adult leadership conferences in Washington, DC, and coordinating short term mission trips in Europe and Central America.

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Teaching Philosophy and Expectations

My teaching philosophy can be summed up in three statements:

 

• I know that my students are capable of achieving excellence;
• I expect my students to be responsible; and
• I allow my students to experience the consequences of their choices, both positive and negative.