Hello

My Story

I was that kid! You know the one who makes everyone else play school... I knew I was going to be a kindergarten teacher.

​

Out of high school and off to college I went to fulfill my dream! Unfortunately, my passion was kindergarten which meant I had to have an early childhood degree at that time. The Early Childhood Program was a limited access program and they made it clear there would be no time for electives. This didnt sit well with me. I was a band nerd! I needed to make music and stay with that family that accepted me for me. I decided instead that maybe I wasnt supposed to teach kindergarten and moved my direction towards math education. I went through differential equations, Calc 1, 2, and 3, Logic and Proofs, and who knows what else. I LOVED math so this would be a great avenue for me to inspire others to love math too!  Sure, I would be teaching older students, but it was still teaching right?

By my senior year, they adjusted the degrees and kindergarten was now part of the Elementary Education degree. I quickly and excitedly jumped from Math to Elementary Education and finished my degree. I was finally going to do what I dreamed! It was going to be amazing!

I was hired out of my internship to finish the year in a third grade classroom. It was AWFUL! Coming into a classroom at the middle of the year is not for the faint of heart. I thought "If I can survive this, I can survive anything!!" This was 2006.

Nothing has changed. Kids are still kids. Troubled kids are still troubled kids. Hurt kids are still hurt kids. The "have"s and "have not"s are still the same too! Nonetheless, I pushed through and the next year was moved to kindergarten! I loved those sweet faces! Being able to start the year with them made a huge difference in the respect and classroom management, as well as the growth in the rapport with my students. At the end of that year my boyfriend (now husband) and I moved out of town. He, also a teacher but for music, was able to get a job about 2 hours from where we were. This allowed us to move back to his hometown and settle in.

​

My mother in law, who is a speech pathologist, got me a kindergarten position at the school she was at and my journey began for real. I stayed at that school for 13 years. I was pink slipped and hired back in the same year, 3 years in, due to budget cuts. I was moved to different grade levels during my time there. I made lots of close friends and learned so much about who I wanted to be as a teacher. 

​

After lots of changes at the school, I decided I needed to try a new path. I moved to a failing school that was in turn around with the state. It wasnt far from the other school but it was a great opportunity to implement some teaching strategies that I truly believe in - Learning through developmental play. I was given free reign to teach the students through play and hands on learning. I watched them work together and explore and lead their learning paths. I saw them grow with each other and teach each other. I watched them play and enjoy learning, the way it should be. 

​

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and Covid hit. It was at that point that I was stretched in ways I didnt know I had in me. I became an online teacher sitting in an empty classroom. My colleagues had students in their rooms, but I was behind 3 monitors and two computers running a classroom completely online. I was then told they needed to move the 1st grade students to me as well because they needed the first grade online teacher in the classroom. So, I balanced teaching kindergarten and first grade simultaneously, completely online through a computer. It wasnt awful, but it was a lot. We then reached the midpoint of the year and many of my students decided they want to move back to brick and mortar so I began teaching hybrid in my classroom. I had a full classroom of students in my classroom while also teaching 4 students simulatneously online. It was.... interesting. We made it work and finished out the year that way. 

​

After many changes in admin, school board and politcs, the constant battle for students needs became too much. I had daily debilitating migraines. Even though the school was only 5 minutes from home, some days I barely made it in and then prayed I could make it through the day. My hormones were crazy, my head was splitting in two daily, and I just wanted to teach and enjoy learning with my kids again. I wound up leaving in the middle of the year due mostly to the migraines taking over. I was told I needed to make a change in my stress levels or I was at risk of other major health issues. 

​

It was the single most hardest decision I have ever had in my life. I HATED it. I cried about it. I felt guilty about it. I tried to change my mind but knew I couldnt. After a few weeks of being out of the school though, I noticed I could breathe again. I was clear headed. No more migraines. No more sleepless nights. I had energy like I hadnt had in a very long time. I knew then I had made the right decision. Still, I missed the kids. I missed the teaching. I missed the fun projects and excitement of learning new things. I missed my teacher friends and their unwavering support. 

​

I dabbled in life insurance thinking I could educate people on options to help them later in life financially. I did some online tutoring while working in the insurance industry and the tutoring was the highlights of my day. I left that insurance and went to health insurance, selling marketplace and medical insurance plans. Again, I fell short. It just wasnt the same as working with the kids. August came and I considered going back to the classroom. I had given myself time to heal physically and the stress was much better (aside from not having a steady income anymore). But every time I considered it, I would have a panic attack. I would have nightmares of being back in the classroom with no control and drowning again. I couldnt do it. I couldnt go back.

​

I started doing more with tutoring online and worked for ClassDojo and Carnegie Learning. It was so nice to be working with children again! I loved having those learning moments with them again. I loved seeing their face light up when they logged in saw my face. I still do! No matter what else I have tried in between, I still find myself back to teaching kids in some way. 

​

So here I am now. I am still working with those companies to have some income but there are limitations. I have to follow their guidelines and curriculum. I have to follow their schedules and time frames. I spend a lot of time making my own lessons to meet kids where they are. This led me to creating my own tutoring program. My passion is math and the majority of my sessions with Carnegie are middle and upper level math, but I do also work with elementary level reading. I have a mix of both with ClassDojo, and I tutor in the community middle and highschool math.

​

You might think "Its on a computer... wouldn't in person be better?" Possibly. However, in this capacity I can help children all over the United States, not just in my home town. I can reach children anywhere that need support. I do my best to keep it engaging as well. We play learning games for wrote memory skills. We read books together on the screen. We work through problems together on the virtual white board. I can see their thinking process right there in real time. My tutoring sessions are interactive and student led. Some students just need help with homework daily. Some need remediation on skills they didnt quite get. Some want a boost going into the next grade level or just want to be challenged where they are. With online tutoring, the possibilities are endless. I have resources available at a finger tip no matter what the need is. 

​

So this is me. I want to teach and do it in a way that truly meets the kids where they are and gives them exactly what they need at that time. Join me on a journey in learning with your child. I promise you wont forget it!