Why did you decide to become a teacher?
I did not have an easy time in school. Math and spelling were very difficult for me; luckily, I had teachers that would not give up on me. When I was in elementary school, my mom became a teacher of students with learning disabilities, which is what we discovered I had. When I started college, I had free days that I went to her school and volunteered in her room and the library. That was where I found my true calling. Reading is the foundation of learning; if you can read, you can learn anything. From that point on it was my goal to help others learn to read.
What is a goal of yours as a teacher?
After 11 years of teaching, I am excited to start my third year as the Media Specialist and introduce students to the library and all it has to offer. My ultimate goal is to positively influence children to understand that if they set their mind to it, there isn’t anything out there that they cannot learn, even if their way of learning is a little different than anyone else.
What would be something surprising about you that students would find interesting?
My students might be surprised that I was on a pilot for a TV show. Also, I can sing. When I was in high school, I took voice lessons and was thinking that I might become an opera singer.
What is your favorite book and why?
Ranger’s Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan. I have read it several times, and I read it to my fifth graders towards the end of the year because it is a captivating story and is the first book in a long and continuing to grow series. I have read the rest of the series to date, and from the first book my mind can recall most of the rest. Plus, it is a great story about finding out who you are and the strength that you have within yourself.
What is your favorite quote?
“Mistakes are proof that you are trying.” I had a poster with this saying in my classroom. It was important to me to let my kids know that part of learning and growing is making mistakes. That it is OK to make mistakes, but it is our job to learn from them and to try and not repeat the same ones.
Riverview/Apollo Beach Teacher of the Month is sponsored by Mathnasium of Riverview
