Like many college students who are approaching graduation, I was unsure of my next step. Following graduation, I began teaching middle school reading at a Houston charter school. The school's purpose was to provide an alternative but challenging curriculum to students from low socio-economic backgrounds who also struggled with behavioral and learning disabilities. Needless to say, this was a challenging environment for a first year teacher, but one that promoted growth as an educator. Being part of this program taught me to develop and utilize alternative methods for teaching as well as the importance of designing assessments that promoted learning rather than simply providing data. After two years at the charter school, I decided to pursue teaching high school English. This had always been a desire of mine, so when the opportunity to teach ninth grade English and reading at one of Houston Independent School District's most historic high schools presented itself, I could not pass it up. Although this campus is one of Houston's most accomplished, it is located in a neighborhood that it is infested with drugs and gang violence.However, it was during this time that I discovered my passion for school reform. I encountered many academically outstanding and talented students who desired to increase their knowledge and opportunities to obtain success despite their surroundings. It was obvious that many of the students were looking to be apart of something and desired more one on one attention from the adults on campus. I assisted in developing programs to decrease ninth and tenth grade retentions, and became heavily involved in the process of developing and maintaining the small learning communities program. For two years I lead a team of ninth and tenth grade teachers, and as a team we increased the overall academic progress of the students in our group. Although the experience in Houston was very enriching, my primary responsibility is to my family, so after purchasing a new home, I decided that I should pursue a position in the local district. I taught eleventh grade English for two years. I also continued to be an active participant in developing programs for school reform. One of the most enriching experiences I had as a member of the school's small learning community task force was traveling to Seattle, Washington, to research and observe established and accomplished programs. Last year, after giving birth to a baby girl,and with my son starting kindergarten, I decided that my time would be best spent staying home with the baby and playing an active role in my son’s adjustment to elementary school. Over the past year I have taken on a variety of projects that I am hoping will encourage a new generation of readers as well as influence young people to make the best decisions regarding their education and relationships.

Age-Level of the Boy(s) I work with:

Primary (ages 0-8)

High School (ages 15-18)