When I was a preschooler, I would line up my many dolls and stuffed animals at the foot of my bed. They were my students, and it was time for class to begin! Teaching them – or if I were lucky, my younger brother Michael – was one of my favorite ways to pass time.
Now, many moons later, my five-year-old students are as real as can be. My days with them are far more than a means of passing time. My students keep me focused on what matters in this life: compassion, generosity, curiosity, humor, inclusion, love. Daily, they inspire me to provide them with a classroom that is fun, creative, and highly responsive to who they are and what excites them. Few things bring me as much joy as leading them in a science experiment, teaching them a new game, or reading aloud to them.
But I am not “just” a teacher!
I am also a mother, daughter, wife, friend, cook, traveler, walker, reader, and WRITER.
When I was a sophomore in high school, my English teacher gave us the most interesting assignment of my secondary-school career: we were to write and illustrate a children’s book and then have it critiqued by two third-graders. This project was life-changing because I finally figured out that everyday people write and illustrate books – and that I could one day do so, too. (Well, I could at least write one. Neither the third-graders nor myself have ever been under any delusions that I could illustrate one!)
Currently, I am seeking an agent for one of several picture book manuscripts.
If I am not in my classroom or writing somewhere, you may find me in one of the following spots:
- Reading in my favorite chair. (I try to read at least 30 minutes each morning.)
- Walking my dog in my neighborhood, or powerwalking in an area race. (We divide our time between Tennessee and Connecticut. In Connecticut, I am a member of the 169 Society.)
- Cooking. (In our kitchen. The grill still scares me.)
- Adventuring or traveling with my family.
- Milling about a bookstore or attending an author event.
- Learning something somewhere!
I love that Life is one big classroom.