Biography
I graduated from Alief Hastings High School, near Houston, Texas. When I first graduated, I did not want to be a teacher even though I was from a family of educators - teachers, school nurses, principals, coaches, and superintendents. I enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin and received my Bachelor of Arts. I worked in retail and apartment management, but I would train all of the new hires. I finally concluded that maybe I was meant to teach.
I enrolled in elementary education at the University of Texas at Tyler to become a certified teacher. I enjoyed my classes, but I felt overwhelmed by the amount of time I was required to teach reading after having only taken two courses. I continued taking reading courses until I received my Masters in Education. I constantly want to help students, so I continued taking classes and researching possible solutions to reading difficulties until I completed my Doctor of Philosophy from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio.
My certifications are in All-Level Art, Special Education, English as a Second Language, Elementary Education, and Reading Specialist. I am a licensed Dyslexia Therapist.
I have been teaching at Tom Daniels Elementary School for 21 years as a Reading Specialist/Interventionist, in which I work with at-risk students in all subject areas, but primarily in reading.
I hope the environment in my classroom helps students be life-long independent learners.