• Education:
• University of Houston - Bachelor of Arts - Major: English linguistics  Minor: Philosophy
• Hamline University - Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
• Capstone: Creating a Culture of Independent Reading Among African American Students, Especially Black Males
• Teaching Certifications: Hamline University - Communications Arts/Literature 5-12 and Reading K-12
• Professional Affiliations: National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
• Teaching Experience: 10+ years as a full-time classroom teacher in elementary, middle, and high school English and reading, several years as a substitute teacher in St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Richfield, writing and reading teacher for graduation test preparation at high school and college levels, vocabulary and reading teacher at the college level, philosophy teaching assistant and tutor (logic, critical thinking, introduction to philosophy) while a philosophy graduate student at the University of Houston.
• Family: My husband, David, is a philosophy professor at the University of St. Thomas.  We have been blissfully married since 1999. I am the proud mother of 3 grown children, Patrick and Bonnie in Katy, Texas and Chelsea, in San Diego, California! I have been blessed with 10 grandchildren!
• I am a 5th generation Texan.  I have also lived in Michigan, Colorado, and now, Minnesota!  

I believe that SMART is something that you get, not something that you are, and ALL students can get smart if they come to class prepared, ready to learn, and are willing to put effort into their education. I am passionate about helping students become word-aware as they develop into creative and critical readers, writers, and thinkers as well as lifelong readers for pleasure and learning.  Reading is Thinking! 

When I'm not at school, I like to read, explore ethnic recipes and restaurants, cook (I LOVE MY INSTANTPOT pressure cooker!), and train our Vizslas, Jaxon and Carerra, in dog obedience and agility.