About
My First year
Expectations? Of course, I had expectations as a first year teacher teaching in a notoriously rough area of West Philadelphia. They were simple: try to keep the kids from fighting and don’t cry in front of the class. Today, my students are excited, happy, engaged, focused, and most importantly, they learn. They are excited to learn. They laugh, listen to directions, and love to learn. I rarely need to discipline. It took many failures as well as successes, trying every teaching method I could find, finding my groove, reading the research, working in challenging school settings, to try to constantly grow. I felt I had to share what I learned with others, you.
Where Am I Now?
I was humbled to be recognized as Teacher of the Year at Gompers Preparatory Academy in San Diego, California in my fourth year of teaching. In fact, I’ve had tremendous success engaging students and gaining joy from teaching. I’ve been a Corwin bestselling author, teacher coach, curriculum designer, workshop presenter, conference keynote speaker, and Fulbright consultant in Botswana. My work has spread internationally as I’ve worked with middle schools in Kathmandu and Turkey. I’ve seen it all and know how hard teachers work. I believe that ideas that work and engage students should be shared. I believe in teaching the whole child, bringing laughter back into the classroom, and teaching from your heart and authentic self. I also know how to save you time and energy while doing what you love. My three published books with Corwin are inspired by these beliefs. I can help you get the class we all dreamed about when we chose this beautiful profession.