I am very excited to be writing and editing for Bright Hub's educational channels! Educators and parents alike continually struggle to find new and meaningful ways to engage young learners - all while working to refine their own skills needed to plan, manage, document and communicate the learning taking place. I know that my work as an educator, combined with my practical experience parenting three young boys, provides a unique foundation for collaborating with the members of Bright Hub's community. As a freelance contributor, I look forward to sharing my own proven methods as well as introducing information about ever-changing practices and resources in the field of education.
Education:
University of Wisconsin, Madison (WI) 1986-1991
- BA English (1990)
- BA Psychology (1990)
- BS Elementary Education (1991)
Current Positions:
- Contributing Editor - Bright Hub's Early Childhood and Preschool, Homework & Study, Online and K-12 Channels
I taught First and Second Grade for 8 years. During that time, I became proficient in curriculum design and development, integrating technology into the curriculum, interactive learning, classroom management, differentiated instruction, inclusion practices, student assessment, creating assessment tools and parent/staff collaboration.
By serving on a variety of curriculum committee, I have had the opportunity to select curriculum, design pilot programs and author the district guidelines, benchmarks and curriculum guides.
I was honored to function as a peer instructor for in-district credit courses covering a variety of topics including teaching math, classroom management strategies, spelling instruction strategies and specific methods for improving the writing curriculum.
Although my teaching background certainly gave me a running start, I believe my most relevant experience has been parenting my 3 young boys! With them in mind, I am continually working to refine my skills as an educator - so that I might inspire their own love of learning.