About

I am an English teacher at a high school in the greater Cleveland area. I have taught 9th grade English, including Honors, 11th grade English, and remedial English for students reading below grade level. In fall 2014, I will begin teaching AP Language and 11th grade American Literature. 

I became a teacher first and foremost because I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to teach in schools where the need was the greatest. Prior to teaching, I thought I would be a writer, and I interned at a magazine and a newspaper and had some poetry published. Teaching is the best of all worlds to me because it satisfies all my needs: to be creative and in control, to have fun everyday, to laugh everyday, to plan, to write and read and to help others read and write, and to work with children. 

My educational interests are global learning, technology in the classroom, and writing as a tool of expression and learning. Our school is part of the International Studies School Network, which means that our classroom learning and activities are centered around global themes. Some global books I recommend: The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Baeh, and Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.

I live in a suburb of Cleveland with my husband, our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (Barkley), and two cats (Pirate and Izzy). When I'm not grading papers or planning lessons, I like to run, bike, read and write.