I teach math, but I have a passion for photography and personal money management as well. My background includes teaching in the public/charter school setting for the past 26 years.  I have taught from kindergarten to Algebra, but a large portion of my experience has been teaching Jr High.  I teach pre-algebra, 7th grade, and 8th-grade math.  I received my Bachelor of Science from the University of Arizona in Elem. Education with a minor in Mathematics and my M Ed from Arizona State University in math education.  I have been a professional photographer as a side gig for the past 10 years.  I have taught money managing workshops to adults on occasion and helped many people one on one with easy ways to manage their finances.  

My personal philosophy is that to learn, you have to do, so my teaching involves a lot of interaction between myself and my students.  I teach, then they try it.  Then they try it, again and again, interacting with my teaching.  I feel it's important to get immediate feedback so I can see what they are understanding and help them with the things they are struggling with.  We use a lot of whiteboards.  I try to make every concept meaningful in some way and over the years, I have found ways to break it down and make, what could be complicated material, into something easy to understand.  

I have a large family that includes 17 nieces and nephews that I am very close to.  I love spending time with them.  My interest in photography began by taking photos of them and their families.  I enjoy being outdoors and my favorite exercise is hiking.  I grew up hiking the Grand Canyon with my family.  Now I like to hike around the mountains close to my home.