Seaside Educator

I am fortunate to teach at Indian Brook Elementary School in Plymouth, Massachusetts, just a short walk from the Atlantic Ocean. I still have the energy and enthusiasm of a first year teacher - but with over three decades of wisdom and experience. Throughout my thirty-two year career as both a classroom teacher and a building-based mathematics specialist, I have taught thousands of students from kindergarten to grade six. I have also taught graduate courses to fellow educators throughout Massachusetts and led educational workshops across the United States. I have presented at several Annual Meetings of the National Council Of Teachers Of Mathematics (NCTM), the George Washington Teachers' Institute at Historic Mount Vernon, and the "I Teach First!" convention in San Antonio, Texas.

I strive to teach dynamic, creative, engaging lessons that include a variety of hands-on materials. I love to see students moving, performing, reading, writing, discussing, debating, designing, creating, building, and evaluating with smiles on their faces and questions on the lips. I aim to incorporate two or more areas of the curriculum into every lesson. Quality literature is woven into mathematics, science, and social studies each day. Science and social studies topics provide opportunities for "real world" problem solving in mathematics. I believe that every day should be a celebration. As my students celebrate, they learn!

In 1997, I traveled to Washington to receive the Presidential Award For Excellence in Elementary Mathematics Teaching from President Bill Clinton. The same year, I received a Fulbright scholarship to travel throughout Brazil with two dozen fellow educators from across the country. I was a finalist for the Massachusetts Teacher Of The Year and received a $10,000 Toyota TIME grant for my school. I have been a teaching fellow at Mount Vernon, the Henry Knox Museum, and the Lincoln Presidential Library And Museum.

I earned both my Bachelors Degree and my Masters Degree from Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater Massachusetts. My continuing education included a summer studying at the University Of Galway in Ireland.

I am the author of the following resource books for educators: Math In A Mag (Teacher Created Materials), Flyer Away! (Good Apple), SOLD On Mathematics (Crystal Springs Books) and Time For A Rhyme (Crystal Spring Books). I have also done free-lance work for the Good Apple Newspaper, Challenge Magazine, and The Mailbox.