Of the many different experiences I have had in influencing and guiding my interest and passion in teaching, I think that three stand out as the most powerful. These include my work with adults with developmental disabilities, my work with middle school students who were "at-risk", and my personal observations of my father as a teacher. 

In my work with adults with developmental disablities, I had had the opportunity to help them learn independent living skills. This experience was a great way to begin my teaching career, in that, it helped me to understand the importance of individiualizing objectives and learning based on an individuals needs and abilities. 

In my work with middle school students who were then labeled "at-risk", I had the opportunity to be a mentor and work with struggling students to become more successful. This often meant becoming an advocate for students whom others wouldn't always want to help. 

My father influenced the passion, drive, and motivation in being a educator. Although I never got to see him as a teacher in the classroom, I learned about creativity in how he explain and teach ideas and concepts to enhance what were learning in school. I watched how he would explain math concepts to us in different ways until we fully understood. And I adopted that same desire for life-long learning he had. This, I know, I want to pass on to my students. 

I am now a Library Media Specialist at the Bryan Community. My job as an educator here continues to be to understand the needs of my students, help create learning experiences that connect more to their life, and provide resources to help them to be successful in school and life.

Professional Experience