ストーリータイムアート: 絵本を読んで、作って、探検しよう

With over 20 years of experience as an elementary school librarian and a strong educational background. I am well-equipped to provide high-quality teacher expertise. My expertise extends to various roles such as reading interventionist, online and in-person tutor, and leading after-school book clubs for elementary school students. My dedication to promoting literacy and fostering a love for reading in students is evident in my commitment to providing engaging and enriching educational experiences.

I live and teach in Kentucky, USA. I teach class all day, grades Kindergarten thru fifth. My classes are fun, engaging and hands on, incorporating picture books and nonfiction books into real life learning. I strive to help my students become life long learners. I also do book reading units and my students create fun and interesting projects around the story. Painting, recipes, setting maps, games, nature journaling, and readers' theater are just a few of the activities my students participate in. 

I have a Masters degree in Library Media Education, and a Rank I certification in Elementary Education. I have also taught Reading Intervention using the Orton Gillingham Approach as well as the Wilson Reading System, tutored both online and in person, led our school's Student Technology Leadership Program, and led an in person fourth and fifth grade book club. I developed a learning sequence for multiplication facts memorization that I use for tutoring students, and have specialized in tutoring kids with Dyslexia in sensory tactics to assist with reading and spelling. I attend summer seminars for teachers with the National Endowment for the Humanities as well as Expeditions in Education. Some of the topics and locations of these seminars include Savannah, Georgia studying the Gullah culture, Delta State in Cleveland, Mississippi studying the Blues and segregation and the Emmett Till tragedy, Mammoth Cave National Park where I learned about the effects of pollution on our cave life, Yellowstone National Park where I lived and cooked with indigenous tribe members and studied the importance of the bison, Acadia National Park where I studied tide pool life and nature journaling, and the Adirondacks in New York where I learned about the Great Camps and how they intertwined with nature. I also studied Appalachian art at Arrowmont in Gatlinburg, Tennessee where my focus was printmaking. I am a true life long learner myself.  I 

I teach with a learner centered approach. I want my students to ask questions, discuss topics from different viewpoints, brainstorm, debate, tie their own experiences into our learning, and most importantly, problem solve. I want kids to dig in and have fun and make messes when appropriate, all in the name of learning.  I believe every child is unique and has something of value that the rest of us can learn from. I want my students to feel safe expressing questions, ideas, and beliefs, and I make sure my learners feel included and welcome in our classroom environment. I want kids to be able to take risks and go outside of the box to solve problems. 

I love dachshund dogs, and hiking in the woods. I set a goal to hike at least 100 miles per year and have met my goal for at least the last five years. I love to travel, draw, read, and nature journal. I am always on the go!