Originally from northern Indiana, I moved to Ajo, Arizona, in 1981 to teach 5th grade. While living in Ajo, I learned to love the Sonoran Desert, and the southwestern lifestyle, although it is always a pleasure to travel back to the Midwest and visit family. From Ajo, I moved to Glendale, and then to the far north valley, logging 20 years in general education classrooms, all of them in 5th grade! When I started working with the Deer Valley Unified District, I was employed as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher. This year, 2015-2016, marks my 15th year working with second language learners. Currently, I am a Site Coordinator, which means I oversee the EL program at multiple schools, assisting teachers and students. 

I am the mother of two adult children, and the grandmother of two preschoolers. My son and his children live in Arizona, and my daughter is currently in college in Ohio, getting to know her midwestern roots. 

When I was 18, I lived and worked in Switzerland and Germany for a year, requiring that I learn to converse in the native languages of those countries. I have great empathy for students attempting to learn not only social English, but academic English as well. It is my desire to assist both students and families in full participation in all of the programs offered by the Deer Valley schools and in achieving success in their classroom work.