A native of Nebraska, I studied Literature and Theatre Arts at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa.  After graduating from college, I spent the next 27 months in Ukraine as a Peace Corps Volunteer where I taught English as a Foreign Language to students in grades 2-11.  I was also a regular methodological instructor at a regional Teacher Training Institute and a contributor to the Peace Corps Ukraine Newsletter, Nu Shcho?!  Upon returning to the States, I spent a semester at Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska as a media assistant and tutor before moving to Virginia.  This is my fifth year at Beville Middle School.  In addition to teaching 7th grade Language Arts and Reading, I coach the Bobcat Cheerleading squad and participate in a wide variety of extra-curricular activities.  

As someone with an intellectual passion for the spoken and written word, I am thrilled to be able to share this year with you and your students!  I believe strongly in the power and importance of Literature.   What better time than Middle School to encourage a lifetime of learning with a great book!  I encourage you to join with me as we explore a variety of texts, genres, and styles of both writing and reading throughout the year.  Please feel free to contact me throughout the year with any questions, comments or concerns you may have.  It's going to be a fantastic year!


"A novel is not an allegory... It is the sensual experience of another world.  If you don't enter that world, hold your breath with the characters and become involved in their destiny, you won't be able to empathize, and empathy is at the heart of the novel.  This is how you read a novel: you inhale the experience.  So start breathing."
                                                            - Azar Nafisi, Reading Lolita in Tehran