Who I am

I am a wife of 20+ years and mother of an adult son as well as a world traveler. I am a transplant to Waynesboro and am very happy to have SOLAR PANELS to power my home! I am a choir member at St. Mary's Episcopal Church as well as Sunday School teacher, tutor time for community students and a vestry member along with maintaining their web site. I have 2 brothers, one older and one younger, 3 nieces and 3 nephews. I am an AVID CAT LOVER!!!
I have coached Track and Field at the high school and middle school level (creating and developing the first team ever in the middle school) as well as Middle School Girls Field Hockey. I played all sports in Junior and High School, earning varsity letters in Volleyball, Basketball, and Track and Field. I also earned the Herald Mail Journalism award as a Senior for my dedication and work for my school newspaper for 6 years. I have played on a community softball league earning Most Improved Player Award the season my team won the league championship.

Me as a Teacher

I wanted to become a teacher after moving from a very small school in Kentucky to Waynesboro Pennsylvania and repeating the 3rd grade. I learned at that time that school is NOT a horrid retched place and teachers are not there just to make your life MISERABLE!!!

Through my public education career I always had a strong interest in science and a natural tendency with computers.

After getting married and having my son, I completed my Associates of Science in Education from Hagerstown Junior College (now HCC) with a focus in science. While earning this degree, I worked at Brook Lane psychiatric center focusing with the geriatric patients for a year and then the child and adolescent unit for a year. I then began my Bachelors program at Shippensburg University in Elementary Education with a minor in Science. While completing this degree I was instrumental in the development of an adolescent residential program with Mountain Valley Center in Chambersburg Pennsylvania.

Upon earning my degree in 1996, I began teaching science at Victor Cullen Academy, a juvenile detention center in Sabillisvile Md. I also taught language during the summer session after my first year.

I began my public education teaching with Springfield Middle school in Williamsport Md teaching 7th grade science and math. After fulfilling a semester long-term substitution position, I was placed into a full time 6th grade science classroom in Boonsboro Middle School. Within my 2 years in Boonsboro I worked intensely with the other science teacher to implement and install an environmental wetland project on their complex.

I began my career in Fairfield in 1999 with a 4th grade classroom. During my 2 years in 4th grade my students worked to plan, design, create and build a butterfly garden within the courtyard. After starting coaching, I then transferred to 5th grade for one year and on to 6th grade for a multitude of years....always focusing on my application of technology into each and every class and subject I taught.

Having earned my Masters Equivalency in Education and beginning my second degree in Technology Education I was granted a transfer to my present position of Technology Education Teacher. With this move I was able to develop, design and identify the implementation methods for Keyboarding in 5th and 6th grade and create the new aspect of Technology Education (as close to shop class as we could get in middle school) for 7th and 8th grade.
The Technology Education program continues to grow and develop with the student population to a point that the High School students resurrected the SCIENCE club, under my direction, and won a Robotics Competition

In the 2014-2015 school year, I am pleased to make a full circle back into the elementary building. This opportunity provides for technical support for all teachers, resources (as I have created a site for all to use Elements for Elementary), and specific class time for 3rd and 4th grade students to work on keyboarding skills so when they enter the middle school, they will be able to jump right into problem solving activities focused on the Technology Education concepts.

Other Facts of interest....to me at least!!

My favorite color is RED
I was 6 weeks old when I traveled to Japan to live for 2 years
I have taken groups of middle school student ambasadors to:
New Zeland
Australia
Scotland
England
I love reading, especially murder mysteries and ROMANCE!!
I am the FIXER in my family
I Garden, and Garden, and Garden some more
I am a daughter, sister x 2, wife and mother, and an aunty x 6
I am a PET LOVER but cats rule since dogs drool
I enjoy Baking and Cooking
I like lots and lots of computer games and interactions (do you play trivia or Clash of Clans....)
I am always trying to find a new way to expand my horizons further, now I am heading into the expansion of online teaching and how cyber school is having an impact on the quality of education