Smartsy and Artsy

I have been teaching elementary school for 18 years and my husband has been teaching middle school for 21 years! We have both taught special needs students, at-risk students, and are currently teaching gifted. We have 38 years of combined teaching experience to share with you!

Choice, challenge, and creativity are keys in today's classroom! Whatever subject I'm teaching, I try to incorporate these keys so that students will stay engaged and excited about learning! Choice: While we are often given state standards to teach, students should be given as much choice as possible about what and how they learn. Allowing students flexibility and choice inspires them to go beyond minimum standards. Challenge: It's important to set the bar high. Students need to see high goals and feel that they are able to reach those goals with hard work. They should constantly be challenging themselves to do better and get better! Creativity: Creative thinking is often pushed aside in today's classrooms because we are overwhelmed by the amount of standards we need to teach. Giving students time to exercise their creative minds will motivate them to try their best and will grow their thinking skills in all areas!

I have presented material about reading and writing workshop to teachers in my county and other counties on many occasions. I have led demonstration lessons for administrators and teachers. I have also led teams in writing curriculum for my county. I have also been grade chair for many years. I was excited to be voted Teacher of the Year at my school and one of the top ten teachers of the year for my district. My husband has been asked to present his teaching ideas to his school and to others in county-wide sessions. He was selected as the Outstanding Major of his Specialist Degree class!

I have a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership and a Specialist's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. My husband has a Bachelor's Degree in Social Studies and Language Arts Middle School Education and a Master's and Specialist's Degree in Educational Leadership.

My husband and I have three kids, ages 15, 17, and 2 years! My husband is bi-vocational. He is a teacher and also a minister. We have pastored a small country church for 15 years and travel to many churches in our state to minister there as well. We hope our resources will be a great help to many teachers!