I am a mom of three grown children, a grandma to two amazing grandkids, and a dog mom to a lovely Labrador named Lucy. I moved to Chico from the Bay Area in 2017 to be closer to family. I love it here in Northern California!

I came to teaching later in my life. When my youngest of three children was born, I had the opportunity to stay home with her as a full-time mom. When she began elementary school, I was able to participate as a parent volunteer in her kindergarten classroom. I absolutely loved every minute of my time working with and getting to know those young students. There was magic in seeing them grow into their own confidence as learners. One day a week turned into three days a week and by the spring of that year, I was asked if I would like to become a classroom aide. I was overjoyed at the opportunity and worked for two amazing kindergarten teachers for the next year. When it was suggested to me by those two teachers that I should get my own teaching credential, well, in 2008 I applied to the credentialing program at San Jose State and have never looked back.

My experience over the years working in classrooms and teaching multiple subjects to elementary students gave me the opportunity to discover my love of teaching reading. Over this same time, I came to realize the profound importance that strong foundational reading and literacy skills played in my students' ability to successfully access the content they needed in all subject areas. I saw firsthand both the academic challenges and negative social-emotional impact on students who were struggling readers. I wanted to do better for my students! I decided to further my own education and move into a reading specialist role. I returned to graduate school and earned my Master of Science in Reading and Literacy. I also embarked on my own ongoing professional development and training for teaching structured literacy to elementary students.

Teaching Approach

I believe that a safe, caring environment and positive teacher-student relationships are paramount to learning. It is important that I meet a student wherever they are in their learning, building on their strengths to grow the skills they need to become confident readers. I take a structured literacy approach that uses code-based, explicit, and systematic instruction for teaching a student to read. I teach that “practice makes progress” and a growth mindset as powerful tools through which a student can see themselves as capable learners and find joy in their learning!