I started teaching in the New Albany Primary School in January of 2000, back when it was a new building that held grades K-5! I graduated from Miami University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Art Education. I was a substitute teacher for a year and a half. I was so excited to be hired at New Albany and have my own beautiful art room and a fellow art teacher to work with! In a few years I received my master’s degree from Ashland University. For most of my career at New Albany, I taught grades 2-5. I love teaching first graders again, with all of their energy, enthusiasm, and fearlessness!
When I first went to college, I majored in architecture because I liked the combination of math and art, but something was missing. I think part of me always knew I would be a teacher. When I began observing elementary art rooms, I was surprised and inspired by what they were learning---things I didn’t have the opportunity to learn until I was in high school! I like the challenge of figuring out how to present problems in a way that will enable students to find the solutions. My favorite part of teaching is seeing the sense of accomplishment young artists feel when they have created something they thought was beyond their capability.
Outside the classroom, I am in an improv troupe. I have been improvising since college, and I love the collaboration, creativity, and unique humor of it. I also like to read, paint, go to the theater, the movies, Buckeye games, and play softball and cards with my friends.