Background & Credentials
A veteran classroom teacher in English/Language Arts for 26 years, I retired in June 2021 from The Blake School (MN) where most recently I taught 8th grade English. In my sixteen years at Blake, I earned exemplary designation during all performance reviews and received Faculty Excellence Awards each year. From 2000-2005, I taught middle school English at Visitation in Mendota Heights and served as its Upper School Learning Specialist from 2003-2005. I started my career as an English Instructor at the University of Colorado - Boulder while earning a Master of Arts Degree in English Literature. I also taught three years of English and Study Skills at St. Anne’s Episcopal School in Denver.
The list below shares several of my professional development experiences, many of which I attended as a competitive applicant, as well as a writing award I recently received:
Columbia University Teacher’s College, both the Klingenstein Summer Institute and Reading and Writing Institute, 3 weeks & 1 week respectively.
University of Minnesota’s MN Writing Project in conjunction with the National Writing Project, 3 weeks & 2 days.
Nancie Atwell’s Center for Teaching & Learning Internship in Edgecomb, Maine, 1 week.
Bard College’s Institute for Writing and Thinking, 1 week.
2-3 day-long workshops per year on topics ranging from best practice in reading & writing instruction, brain science, and embedding social justice, equity, and representation in teaching practice.
2020 Colorado Gold Rush Literary Award finalist for my women’s fiction manuscript
One of my proudest achievements as a teacher has been the percentage of my students who received recognition in the annual Scholastic Writing Awards Contest. Typically, 35% opted into the contest each year, and the majority of those received an award.
That said, students’ personal victories—when they feel successful and proud of their work—are the sweetest.
* References available upon request; don’t hesitate to ask.