I am a life long resident of Mount Vernon and graduated from Mount Vernon High School.  I married a classmate and have three children, all of whom have gone through the Mount Vernon City School system.

 

After graduation, I attended The Ohio State University to earn my Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education.  I have returned numerous times to OSU to earn my Masters of Arts in Education degree and certification as a Reading Recovery teacher.  I also studied in the university's Literacy Collaborative program to become a primary and intermediate grades' literacy coordinator, which can be explained as a peer coach and professional development provider for my fellow staff members about literacy instruction.  These educational opportunities have allowed me to be a presenter at local, state, and national literacy conferences, and be an instructor and assessor for The Ohio Department of Education.  I have written and taught online undergraduate and graduate courses about early literacy for the Mount Vernon Nazarene University. 

 

This is my 40th year teaching for the Mount Vernon City Schools.  I taught four years as a fourth grade teacher, and the remainder of my career has been focused on reading and writing instruction and helping my colleagues with their literacy instruction.   I say that I have taught in every elementary building in the district, even though I haven't taught at Twin Oak, but I did teach at Elmwood and West Side Elementary Schools which combined to become Twin Oak, so I will take that liberty!  I have been a reading intervention teacher at East since the 2013-2014 school year.  I can work with students in grades kindergarten through fifth, but I have been focused on kindergarten through third grade.  I teach with a reading intervention program called Leveled Literacy Intervention System, which is written by Dr. Gay Su Pinnell and Dr. Irene Fountas.  It is published by Heinemann Publishing.

 

I am deeply involved with the tennis programs at the middle school, high school, and Mount Vernon City Recreation Board's Summer Parks' Programs.  You can find information about these activities through the links to the right.

 

If you would like to contact me, please use the information to the right side of this page.