I currently teach Kindergarten at Melrose Elementary School. I began teaching in 2005 after receiving my Elementary Education degree from Concord University. I have been a second grade teacher, a Title I Reading Specialist and a Kindergarten teacher. I obtained my master’s in Reading in 2007, my Educational Leadership degree in 2008 and my National Board Teaching Certificate in Literacy in 2012. I just recently received my Maintenance of Certification through the National Board in December 2021.
The education system in West Virginia is successful because it offers many opportunities for our students as well as our teachers. One extracurricular activity that students at our school enjoy is robotics. It really helps students with their problem-solving skills. Teachers are also offered extra help in our county through the New Teacher Seminar. New teachers are assigned mentors and attend meetings together. They are trained on topics of interest for new teachers. I have enjoyed being a part of the mentor teacher group in our county.
My favorite part of being an educator is building relationships with my students. I love seeing them succeed and get excited over learning to read or learning something new. We are always trying new things in our classroom to keep our students excited about learning.
I love helping others. Through teaching, I can have a positive impact on all my students. I love that every day is different in my classroom. We work hard, practice hands-on learning, and celebrate all successes in our classroom.
I have enjoyed working with local universities and colleges in our community. I am part of the Professional Development Schools that connects the universities to the county school system. Through the university, I have written numerous grants to help the students in my classroom. One grant that I have written has been for Scholastic News articles. The students love reading their own “magazine” each month and I love the across-the-curriculum learning for the students. The nonfiction text is great for these young kindergarten students. It allows them to practice reading and learn about new topics. The students love reading and sharing information on the articles.
I am married and have three boys ages 10, eight and three. We love to be outside as a family and go on many adventures.