As an Educator

I began my teaching career 24 years ago as a second grade teacher in Clayton County Public Schools.  I continue to serve the students and teachers of Clayton County presently an Academic Content Lead for Elementary English Language Arts.

In each school I've served, I have been a grade-level chair, on principal's advisory committees, better-seeking teams, sponsored various student clubs, and had the honor of being a teacher of the year twice!  In 2023, I completed Tier 1 certification in Educational Leadership from University of West Georgia.

I have always endeavored to provide students with instruction that meets their individualized needs all while scaffolding them to meet state standards.  As a result, creating standards-based learning contracts have become the fabric of my classroom.  All students are expected to meet the same standards, yet their processes and products are individulaized to meet their specific need.

As an Early Intervention Teacher, I was trained to use SRA Reading Mastery and Corrective Reading with students in grades K-3.  This program taught me the importance of explicit systematic phonics instruction for students who struggle with reading.  I am currently in Orton-Gillingham training which aligns to the Science of Reading in conjunction to a multi-modal approach in explicit phonics instruction 

Haynie Elementary School gave me on the job training well before earning the ESOL endorsement. The school has served a diverse population of students  over my tenure there. From serving David, a Hispanic student who did not speak English, to teaching, Eli, an Asian gifted student with a Speech IEP, I have been equipped with opportunities to differentiate instruction to meet student's diverse needs.

Becoming gifed endorsed gave me the opportunity to work with students on the other side of the spectrum.  Although they too have specific needs, I was able to use learning contracts to level the field of access for ALL students in my classroom.  Both exceptional students and gifted students alike received standards based instruction that considered their needs.