This will be my 2nd year at Terramar and I am so excited to be a part of the Terramar Titans family! I am looking forward to starting my 23rd year of teaching! All of my 23 years have been in 4th grade and in the Deer Valley district.   I am actually a product of the Deer Valley district, as I attended Bellair, Desert Sky, and Deer Valley High School.  I feel honored to teach in the district where I grew up. 

After high school I went to Glendale Community College and then transferred to Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ to graduate with a Bachelor's of Science in Education.  In May of 2008 I received my Master's in Elementary Education from Northern Arizona University. I have expertise in Kagan learning structures, Thinking Maps, and The Leader In Me.  I was honored to be one of the nominees for Deer Valley Teacher of the Year for the 2019-2020 school year.  

Some of my hobbies include reading, going on road trips and spending time at home with my family. My favorite types of books to read are autobiographies.  I have read about Bette Midler, Ellen Degeneres, Betty White, Fred Astaire, among others.  This past summer we took a road trip to South Carolina.  It was a long drive but it was fun seeing all the different landscapes.  It was hot and muggy in South Carolina but I sure loved all of the green trees, farmers markets, and old barns we passed.

I have been married to my husband Scott for 17 years.  We have a 5.5 year old daughter named Hailee. I can't believe the changes we've seen in this last year!  Her imagination runs wild and I hope she never loses that!  We also have 2 fur babies!  Our oldest is a bichon frise named Chloe.  She is about 12 years old.  Our other dog is a lab named Mocha.  She is 6.5 years old.  They are so fun to play with and snuggle up to!

Teaching has been pretty much the only thing I ever wanted to do.  I remember playing  "school" with my stuffed animals when I was little.  My mom had bought a huge chalkboard and I used to teach my "lessons" to anyone who would listen.  As I grew older I thought about going into music as I studied flute in high school and college but I ultimately decided on going into the classroom because I just loved teaching all subjects.  Reading is definitely my favorite of all subjects to teach though. 

I believe that an effective teacher is one who not only has high expectations, but provides a positive atmosphere and builds positive relationships with her students.  This establishes a culture of trust and understanding which leads to an environment where students learn at high levels. I look forward to meeting you and your child this year!