Since 1989 I have taught just about every grade, ranging from 6th through college. As a result of the past 28 years in education, I know what it is like to live the “teacher life”. We have lesson plans we need to write, parent conferences we must attend, duties that we are required to cover, differentiation we must document . . . the list is neverending! Because of all of these requirements, it is often difficult for teachers to create or even find the ideas for innovative and engaging classroom lessons and activities. The materials given to us are often difficult to use due to the sheer mass of information contained in them. Other materials can be expensive for a teacher to purchase. Throughout my teaching career, I have had a passion for teaching students how to write effectively. Because of this, I developed a comprehensive writing program and grammar program that align with National Core Standards and are based on the 6 Traits of Writing. When I first started developing my program, teachers from around the district, state, and country would email and ask for lessons. As a full-time teacher, I had trouble keeping up with all of their requests. Then I discovered Teachers Pay Teachers!!! TpT has enabled me to share my programs with teachers around the world. Write On!
My belief is that students need to be engaged in hands-on activities. Just reading from a textbook is not going to spark creativity in the students of today who have been raised in an Internet, knowledge at your fingertips type of world. I believe that by breaking the concepts of writing and grammar down into easily understandable chunks, students will begin to understand both processes as a whole. When they experience success in the various stages and portions, they will become more excited about writing and grammar.
I am proud to have received my National Board Certification in the area of English Language Arts in 2002 and my re-certification in 2012. In 2012, I was recognized as the Renaissance Teacher of the Year. I had the highest FCAT Writing Scores in Florida in 2009. Throughout my career, I have mentored countless first year and beginning teachers. Additionally, I have provided numerous training activities for teachers in my districts.
I received a Bachelor’s degree in English/Secondary Education from Oakland City University and a Master’s degree in English/Secondary Education from The Citadel Military College.
When not teaching, I spend my time reading (book nerd and proud), working with various pet rescue groups, and hanging out with my husband. We are the proud parents of three rescue furbabies – 1 extremely large cat (Buddy) who is definitely the dominant mammal in the house and 2 completely spoiled rotten dogs (Teddy and Petey) who have us wrapped around their little paws.
