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I am a mother of three wonderful children. My husband was in the military for 24 years; this experience allowed us to travel and live in many wonderful places. My travels abroad exposed me to experience a wide variety of cultures. These experiences fostered a love for cultural diversity and sensitivity to those learning a second language. I have lived and taught English as a second language in Mexico and Japan. I have acted as a translator for N.K.S.D. as well as the National Science Foundation in New Zealand and Antarctica; translating for Russian, Italian and French Antarctic Scientific field parties.
I received my Bachelor of Arts in Education from Western Washington University with a K-8 endorsement. I have over fifteen years teaching experience with children three to eighteen years of age.
I consider teaching a sacred opportunity to serve. It allows me the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of many children. I believe that children have different needs and different learning styles therefore my job is to teach to each child individually. I feel that all students regardless of their socioeconomic, cultural background or developmental abilities deserve to have their individual needs met. In order to facilitate and ensure that all my students receive individualized learning opportunities, I have set the following goals:
· Model reading and writing
· Use classic literature and contemporary text to infuse a love for books and reading
· Read culturally enriching genres that encourage students to make text connections
· Evaluate reading progress and use the gathered information to plan for student success
· Teach and incorporate activities that enrich understanding and help students make cognitive connections
· Become a role model of learning so that my students can emulate my example and continue to seek for knowledge
· Diversify to meet student’s individual needs
· Create a safe, inviting learning environment
I hope to empower my students and teach them that anything is possible with a little elbow grease. However, the most important thing I can teach them is to feel successful, to feel good about what they are capable of doing and to empower them to continue to seek for knowledge. I hope to build them up a little at a time by celebrating their accomplishments and teaching them to recognize their own growth while holding them accountable and raising the bar. As a facilitator of learning my goal has been to teach my students to set learning goals and be self-reflectors as they meet their learning targets. | 
