I have taught in public, private, and home schools for over 20 years, including grades K-12 plus adults. When I was interviewed for my first teaching job, the superintendent said, “There are no textbooks for the high school science class.” “That’s okay,” I said, a fresh new graduate! Little did I know that this experience would forever free me from being dependent upon textbooks (I found out the kids couldn’t read anyway!) and to develop other more creative methods for teaching.

Since 1980, when I was asked by the Texas Northwest Regional Office in Texas to present a workshop for the Texas Migrant State Convention about what I was doing in my English/Reading/ESL classroom, I have presented teacher in-service workshops and sessions for professional educational organizations across the country. My specialty is developing supplementary materials for the classroom, using newspapers and environmental print, bulletin boards, and hands-on activities of all kinds.

My goal is to help teachers "turn on" kids in their classrooms by using high interest and meaningful techniques and materials. My special interests are interactive bulletin boards, newspapers in education, integrated units, hands-on student guides, Outdoor Education, writing across the curriculum, and English as a Second Language. I have had articles published in professional journals and books/booklets to help achieve this goal, presented these topics at teacher conventions, and taught education courses at local universities.

CERTIFICATION

I have current teacher certification for the states of

· Ohio (Biological Science 7-12; English 7-12; Reading K-12; TESOL K-12),

· Washington (Continuing Elementary and Secondary Teacher) and

· Texas (High School Biology and English.)

DEGREES

I have earned a

· Ph.D. from LaSalle University in Educational Curriculum (Mandeville, LA; Dissertation title: “Organizing Classroom Activities to Meet Diverse Students’ Learning Needs”),

· M. Ed. in Reading/Language Arts from Seattle Pacific University (Seattle, WA, Master’s Thesis: “The Rating of Sixth Grade Student Writing by Four Rater Types: Teachers, Peers, Parents, and Businessmen”)

· B.A. from the University of Washington (Seattle, Major: Zoology.)