Background

I grew up in the Dallas area after spending my early years living on Yakota Air Force Base in Japan.  I graduated from Ursuline Academy of Dallas and attended Texas A&M University where I met my husband Michael.  Our family includes one son (John Michael),  two daughters (Adrianna and Katerina), our sons-in-law (Nic and Jacob), our grandson (Taylor) our granddaughter (Remington), three dogs (Chloe, Hosmer and Marley), and two cats (Dallas and Witten).

Education is a vocation that runs in our family as both my mother and mother-in-law were teachers.  I have a brother-in-law who went into teaching after retiring from the Navy, and also have a daughter who is going on her ninth year as an early childhood educator with FWISD.

I am also proud to be in a family where commitment to military service is honored. My father, father-in-law, two brothers, my sister and my brother-in-law all served in uniform representing the Air Force, Army and Navy.  My nephew and niece are both in ROTC programs at their respective colleges with plans to join the military upon graduation.  I also have a brother who served our country as a member of the Peace Corps.

Finally, our family is a big supporter of animal rescue.  The majority of pets owned over the years by my extended family were homeless animals that have been given permanent, loving forever homes.

Teaching Experience

Teaching is a second career for me and was fostered by the desire to better understand the educational needs of one of our children who has special needs.  I earned my Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree from Texas Women’s University with a concentration in English as a Second Language (ESL) curriculum.  My education also includes a Bachelor of Science degree from TWU with a focus in Special Education and behavior management.

This is my second year as part of the McAuliffe Highlander family, but I have been with LISD for over 15 years.  However, an interesting side note is that my little brother attended McAuliffe when he was in elementary school.

I previously taught at Hebron Valley Elementary beginning in 2006 when I joined the campus to teach fourth grade for the spring semester.  Then next school year I joined the third-grade team where I taught until moving to Kindergarten in Fall 2013.  I was honored as HVE’s Teacher of the Year and have also been privileged to receive a lifetime membership from the Parent Teacher Association.

My approach to teaching is fairly simple: 

Treat students with the dignity and respect they deserve while holding them accountable to excel to the best of their abilities, concurrently giving their parents/guardians the information they need to ensure their child's success.

As a teacher, I will:

• Show respect for each child and for his or her family.
• Make efficient use of learning time.
• Provide a safe and comfortable environment that's conducive to learning.
• Help each child grow to his or her fullest potential.
• Provide meaningful and appropriate homework activities.
• Provide necessary assistance to parents so they can help with assignments.
• Enforce district, school and classroom rules fairly and consistently.
• Supply students and parents/guardians with clear evaluations of progress and achievement.
• Use special activities in the classroom to make learning enjoyable.
• Demonstrate professional behavior and a positive attitude.