With nine years of teaching under my belt, I have a world of experience – literally! After being raised and educated in southern Louisiana, I attended Louisiana State University and graduated with top honors from its highly respected teacher preparation program. Upon graduation, I was recruited by Jess Harben Elementary in Richardson, Texas to teach 6th grade Language Arts and Social Studies. Following one of the best first years of teaching (I was named one of the New Teachers of the Year for the school district), I decided to try living abroad. I accepted a position teaching English to Japanese students in Japan. This wonderful experience strongly impacted my philosophy of education and my outlook on the world in general. After a year in Japan, I decided to stay abroad but move to another country – Belgium – to pursue a Master’s degree in education. I thoroughly enjoyed my European education and overall experience as an international student. Through living overseas, I gained valuable insights into education and the world…as well as a dream to live abroad again in the future.
Upon earning my master’s degree, I moved to Bloomington, Indiana. My first year in Bloomington was spent at Marlin Elementary School teaching in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades multi-age program. This was a new experience that helped me grow professionally in many ways. For my second year in Bloomington, my principal at Marlin was transferred, and I was honored to be asked to transfer with her. I was able to teach 3rd grade at Fairview Elementary, a Title 1 school, and it was yet another unique and enlightening experience that presented me with an entirely different perspective of society and the education world. In the summer of 2006 I moved to Fairfax, Virginia. I began a great position teaching 4th grade at Wolftrap Elementary in Vienna, Virginia where I spent three years learning and growing as an educational leader. During my time at Wolftrap, I also earned a degree in school administration from the University of Virginia.
After seven years of experience at the elementary level, I decided I needed a new experience in order to help me to continue to grow personally and professionally. I chose to take on the challenge of teaching middle school. My two years of teaching 7th grade English at Thoreau Middle School in Vienna, Virginia were absolutely amazing and helped me discover a passion for working with middle school students. I decided to continue working at the middle school level while finally fulfilling my dream of returning overseas. My adventure begins in Egypt as a Middle School Language Arts teacher at The American International School in Egypt – West Campus. I’m very excited about this opportunity to continue learning and growing!
