Hello!  My name is Desiree, but most people call me Des! I am located in the state of Arizona in the US. I have lived in the beautiful southwest for 15 years now, but I am originally from the northeast. I was born and raised in New Jersey, and both regions hold a special place in my heart.
     I have a passion for teaching and music! I have spent half of my 20 years as a teacher in K-12 Education and the other half in Adult Education. When working with children, I spent most of my years teaching as a Gifted Education Teacher.  With adults, I specialized in High School Equivalency, or GED.  I also have experience teaching in mainstream elementary and middle school classrooms.  I currently am a certified teacher in the US, in the state of AZ. I am K-8 certified, with a K-12 gifted endorsement, a middle school math and social studies endorsement, an SEI (Structured English Immersion) endorsement, an adult education certification, and am also TESOL certified. In the past, I was also a certified teacher in the states of NJ, NY, and CT.  
     I have been teaching with Outschool for over a year now, and how time flies when you’re having fun! I started with Outschool in July of 2020, and I'm absolutely LOVING it! I love that young students have the opportunity to choose courses of interest, similar to the way college students can select courses! I love that teachers have the freedom to teach from a wide variety of topics as well.  When I started at Outschool, amidst the global pandemic, as a parent, I saw a need for children, for socialization and fun.  THAT is my goal here on Outschool. Our game-centered social clubs allow students to come together and socialize with other students who share similar interests, in a safe online environment. It is less about the game we are playing, and more about the social interaction and fun! Children need that more than ever right now, and I hope that my social club offerings can help make kids smile!
     On a personal note, in my free time, I enjoy playing the piano and singing, as a former musical performer in bands on the east coast. I also love to crochet! I’m actually wearing a crocheted shawl that I made, in my profile photo, while standing in front of my piano! I have a 9 year old daughter, and we are total animal lovers! We share our home with 3 dogs (2 Boxers and 1 German Shepherd).  We also have 3 cockatiels, 8 parakeets, and 1 algae eater fish! My daughter and I love playing board games, taking the dogs for walks, and swimming in our pool! We also know a lot about American Girl Dolls! My daughter collects them, and we are huge fans! What are YOUR favorite things to learn about and do in YOUR free time?  I can't wait to meet you!