I started my teaching career in 2002 teaching third grade at a low income school in a neighborhood just outside Denver, Colorado. I learned so much that first year and the kids I taught will always hold a special place in my heart. Sadly due to budget cuts, my position was eliminated and I moved to another school in the district where I taught a third/fourth multiage class. It was another great year, but I was commuting an hour each way to work and opted to find a job closer to home. My third year of teaching was also my third school in three years! Along the way, I earned a Master's degree in Educational Technology and have always been a leader in my schools in technology integration. After living and teaching for six years in Colorado, the adventure bug kicked in and sent me packing to my first overseas location in the Marshall Islands, where I taught for over 4 years. In the fall of 2012, I was blessed with an amazing job opportunity that brought me to my current location in Japan. I have had quite the range of jobs over my teaching career from classroom teacher, computer teacher, professional development coordinator, school improvement coordinator and currently educational technologist. My current role entails teaching technology to students from preschool to Grade 6 and helping to coach my staff through integrating and using technology in the classroom.
When I am not teaching, I love to travel. In the past few years I have been to Cambodia, Japan, Tanzania, around Europe, and more.In 2012, I traveled to South Africa with a colleague and dear friend; we spent a couple amazing weeks exploring the wild coast and going on Safari. I also love to craft and sew, as well as SCUBA dive and windsurf. I am always up for new advenvtures and love that each day is a new opportunity to grow and see more of the amazing world we live in!
