Meet the Teacher

I am certified to teach K-8 in the state of Arizona, as can be verified at this link.

When my children were very small, I ran a pre-school out of my home, which was a blast! Check out our little Facebook Page here. When I decided to get back into teaching, I was a paraprofessional with Higley Public Schools. There I worked in special needs classrooms and conducted reading interventions for grades K-5. I learned so much there, especially about the importance of differentiation! During the 2019-2020 school year, I was a 4th grade classroom teacher for the JO Combs School District. While I disagree with decisions that were made by the elected school board members, they treated me well while I was there. They even recognized me as a legendary teacher which was really cool! Currently, I'm homeschooling, private tutoring, and teaching on Outschool part time.

My philosophy can be summed up in 4 words: learning should be fun!

Students need to be engaged and interested to learn effectively. Teaching should be more than listening to someone drone on. Students need to be able to interact with the material, in as tactile a way as possible.

That also means, that they shouldn't be frustrated with unrealistic expectations that don't match their abilities. Differentiation is so important. If a child is a struggling reader, for example, that shouldn't prevent them from learning every other subject.

As a social studies teacher, I try not to get hung up on the details. I, personally, have never done well memorizing dates, and I don't expect my students to. I'm more interested in their analysis than regurgitation. My goal is to get students to think!

My kids were both enrolled in a public Arizona school, until November of 2020. My 3rd grade daughter was struggling with the online work so much, that I was having to re-teach nearly everything. In addition to that, with work taking up so much of my life before, I never had the chance to really notice how much help she needed in math especially. She needed one-on-one intervention. That is when I took the plunge to homeschool her for the rest of 3rd grade, leaving my 5th grade son to finish out the school year online with some supplemental stuff from mom. I'm so proud of the progress she made! The photo is of a MEL Chemistry experiment. It's one of those monthly box subscriptions, and comes with access to live classes, which are amazing. I can teach a lot, but I am no chemist!

In Arizona, 3rd graders are supposed to learn Arizona history. I found another third grader who wasn't getting Arizona history either, and taught her with my daughter. In order to do that, I had to read - a LOT. I became hooked, and then inspired. I enrolled in classes on Native Americans of the SW and Arizona History. I joined the Arizona Historical Society, and stopped at every museum I could. The more I learned, the more I felt an intense need to share this incredible history with students and teachers. I know there is a lack of resources on this topic, especially with students using a national social studies curriculum, or for teachers that might not be from Arizona, and I feel like it's my purpose right now to fill that gap.

In August of 2021, my youngest went into DKA and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. What seemed devastating at first, is now just another part of life. I'm beyond grateful for everything that saved my daughter's life, everything that continues to keep her alive, and we celebrate it every August 23rd. Things could have turned out differently. Please click here to learn the signs of the beginning stages of this disease. We had no idea what to look for. Part of my job as a "momcreas" is always monitoring her blood sugar, adjusting ratios in her insulin pump, and treating highs and lows when the come up. I feel like type 1 really needs more exposure and awareness, and I'm happy to answer any questions about it!

After getting my teaching degree in 2005, I actually spent 9 years on-and-off in the car business. I was a salesperson, sales manager, then service advisor. In the end, I could never find balance in that business. It supported me financially when I was a single mom, but when I met Mr. Right, I was finally able to be there more for my kids and pursue my childhood dream of teaching. My love for cars is still there though! Right now, the only sport I follow is Formula 1 racing. I even teach a few F1 classes on Outschool! Here's a picture of me at the 2019 Grand Prix du Montreal with Nico Hulkenberg and Sebastian Vettel! I'm so grateful for that trip while we were able to make it!