Little House of Learning

I began my teaching career in Music City with the Metro Nashville Public School System. I currently homeschool my 4 children, and I wouldn't trade this time with them for all the money in the world. Teaching has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember, and it has also been one of the greatest blessings in my life.

When designing lessons & units, I seek to integrate reading with as many subjects as possible. I design individual curriculum(s) based upon the needs & interests of my students. My favorite subject to teach is guided reading, and I love creating new centers.

I was entered into the Teacher Hall of Fame at Middle Tennessee State University and awarded "The Most Outstanding Student Teacher of the Year" in 2006. In 2009 & 2011 my students & I were published in Margot Southall's books: "Differentiated Small-Group Reading Lessons" and "Differentiating Reading Instructions for Success With RTI" (Scholastic.)

When I was 6 years old, I walked into my 1st grade classroom only to find that there was no teacher. Stunned, my classmates & I spent months with different substitute teachers. We spent countless hours doing worksheet after worksheet. By the end of the year, we all rejoiced to finally receive a certified teacher, but by then it was too late. Many of us, including myself, could not read. We were all sent to the 2nd grade whether we were ready or not. It took me years to overcome what I should have learned during that critical year of my life. My early education taught me the importance of reading and ALSO what a disability it can be if you never learn to read. With a lot of hard work (and tears to go with it) I eventually learned to read, but I never forgot what I had worked so hard to overcome. In 2003, I graduated with an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts from Oakland Community College (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan) and in 2006 I received a Bachelors Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (Elementary Education) K-6, from Middle Tennessee State University (Murfreesboro, TN). As I became a teacher I told my students of the struggles I had faced, and I promised them that I would work hard to help each of them become successful readers. As a teacher, that has always been my passion & purpose.

As well as an educator, I am also a freelance collage illustrator. As an artist, I enjoy gathering inspiration from my children & their interactions with nature, here in the quiet hills of Tennessee, and also by the breathtaking stories from the Bible. ​My passion & love for books continues to grow. As a mother & a teacher, I enjoy finding ways to turn any topic into story time & an art lesson. It is my continued desire to instill a deep love of books, reading, art, & scripture into my children and others as well.