This will be my
eleventh year to teach school. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Early
Childhood and Elementary Education from the University of Alabama and a
Master’s degree in Education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
In 2005-2006, I attended Oklahoma City University where I certified in
Montessori Education for children ages 3-6 years old.
I grew up in Birmingham, AL where I lived for 24 years. My husband, Jeff,
and I just celebrated our 11th year of marriage. Jeff is an attorney in
Oklahoma City and a Major in the United States Army Reserve. Jeff and I have
three living children, Andrew (10), Sarah Catherine (8) ,and Jackson (8
months). Our daughter Sophia, twin sister of Jackson passed away at 4 months
of age on February 7, 2008 from a rare birth defect. God has blessed our
family and taught us so much this year about the incredible gift of life and
how important it is to cherish every minute we have with our children and
loved ones.
I have always had a passion for teaching Kindergarten. In my classroom
you will see children who are energetic about learning, comfortable in their
environment, and actively learning while creating life-long friendships with
their peers. Each child rotates throughout the day to weekly-planned
educational hands-on centers as well as a daily rotation to the Teacher
Table. The Teacher Table is my favorite part of the day when I am able to
dedicate individual time to each student in my classroom. This instructional
time is when I teach, reteach, and enrich concepts taught during their
Kindergarten year, especially the love for reading. Individual instruction
is such a great way to create that wonderful teacher-student bond and to
help nurture life-long learning.
I would like to express my sincere thanks to Wal-Mart for recognizing me
as a 2007 Teacher of the Year. I was awarded more than $1000.00 in classroom
money. I have used this award to enhance classroom learning by purchasing a
web camera for the smart board, colorful curriculum puppets, and many
multi-sensory center manipulatives that our students will enjoy using
throughout the school year.
