aws Studios

With over 25 years of experience as a mental health educator and curriculum developer, I have taught pre-service health educators at the State University of Cortland, NY’s School of Graduate Studies and won top honors from the NYS Dept. of Education for my peer-reviewed curriculum on HS level Communication Skills. My experience also includes training for the NYS Office and Children and Family Services Adolescent Services and Resources Network and serving on the board of the National Parenting Education Network. I am a Fellow of the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York and a member of the Fellows Action Network.

I found it foundational in my teaching to first create a welcoming and safe classroom environment. At the beginning of each term, I would spend time developing a supportive classroom community. This laid the groundwork for the rest of the term to run smoothly and respectfully on both ends - teacher and students. My teaching style is a blend of demonstration, facilitation, and delegation which I have found to be both effective and efficient.

I received membership in the New York State Education Department's Academy for Teaching and Learning in 2001 for my peer-reviewed HS-level curriculum, "Final Episode: Resolving Family Conflict Through Communication."

I am a graduate of Haverling High School, Bath, NY. I received my BA from the NY State University College at Brockport and my MA in Health Education from the NY State University College at Cortland. I am a Fellow of the Health Foundation for Western and Central NY's Health Leadership Fellows Training Program. I am also a graduate of the School of Visual Storytelling's Illustration program.

I am posting the mental health/social-emotional learning activities and curricula I have developed over the years at my TPT store! I am also blogging about these and my picture books at awsstudios.art/blog/ I live with my husband Jim on Sodus Bay in New York and near the Gulf of Mexico in Florida. Jim and I are the proud parents of two adult children, Laine, an Otolaryngology Nurse Practitioner and Peyton, an Inclusive Recreation and Community Mobility Consultant, and power soccer athlete playing for the US Soccer Association’s Team USA! Go Team USA!