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Growing up in Gladstone, Missouri, I pursued my
interest in being a teacher from age twelve
through college by teaching various classes such
as Bible school, art, and preschool. I graduated
from Park College in 1997 and accepted a
kindergarten position in Richmond, Missouri, where
I learned my basic “survival skills” and was
trained in BIST (Behavior Intervention Support
Team). Moving up to first grade the following year
gave me more experience with beginning readers and
writers. In the fall of 1999, I moved closer to
home, and a notch higher in my students’
development, when I accepted a second grade
position in Independence, Missouri at Santa Fe
Trail Elementary School where I have remained for
the past five years. I am always striving to find
the most successful approaches to reading and
writing instruction. Since graduating from
college, I have received additional training in a
variety of different methods including the
Pathways phonemic awareness program and Tom
Marzano’s Best Practices. I have also attended
several Teaching That Makes Sense Summer
Professional Development Institutes where I
focused on developing a wider repertoire of
effective literacy strategies and on implementing
Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop.
My Philosophy
I believe that children have their best inside of
them: their best effort, their best writing, their
best behavior and attention, etc. To me, teaching
is bringing out the best in every student I have;
success is already in there, my job is to help
students dream it, discover it, and bring it to
the surface so they can develop more ownership in
what they do and more confidence in who they are.
As Helen Keller said, “One cannot be content to
creep when one feels the impulse to soar.” My
students create that impulse for themselves with
each success, and it is through this experience
that they develop the strength to become the
learners they are meant to be.
My Resume
August 1999 – Present
Second Grade Teacher
Santa Fe Trail Elementary School
Independence, Missouri
August 1998 - May 1999
First Grade Teacher
Woodson-Dear Elementary School – Richmond R-XVI
Richmond, Missouri
August 1997 - May 1998
Kindergarten Teacher – Full Day
Woodson-Dear Elementary School – Richmond R-XVI
Richmond, Missouri
June 1997 - August 1997
Master Teacher: age 3 & 4
Park Hill Preschool Summer Program
Kansas City, Missouri
August 1996 - February 1997
Substitute Teacher: grades K – 5
North Kansas City, Park Hill, and Platte City
School Districts
Kansas City, Missouri
Oct. 1996 - December 1996
Art Teacher: grades K – 7
Art and Soul Fine Arts Academy
Kansas City, Missouri
Organizations and Honors
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Missouri State Teachers Association
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Missouri International Reading Association
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International Reading Association
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Parent Teacher Association
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Tenured Teacher in Independence School District
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Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society
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Pi Thetta Kappa Honor Society
Education
August 1994 - May 1997
Bachelor of Arts in Education
Park College
Parkville, Missouri
August 1992 - May 1994
Associate of Arts Degree
Maple Woods Community College
Kansas City, Missouri
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