“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” – Maya Angelou

Welcome Horace Mann Kindergartners and Families!   I decided to become a teacher when I was in third grade, after I determined that being a nurse might be a little difficult due to the fact that I found the sight of blood to be nauseating. Luckily, I have outgrown my aversion to the sight of blood and can easily bandage any “boo boos”.  I have also found that teaching is my dream job.  I have been teaching in Saint Paul Schools for over 20 years and am happy to be a part of the Horace Mann family, especially as it is my neighborhood school as well.

My goal for students is that they continue to be curious learners and develop healthy social and emotional skills to be kind and caring kindergartners.  My goal for families is that we communicate and partner well together to support the success of each child.

In my graduate work, I have focused on early literacy instruction and have a passion for teaching reading in a developmentally appropriate manner.  Additionally, I have focused my own professional learning around Social and Emotional Learning, family partnerships (including the Parent Teacher Home Visit Project and Academic Teacher Teams), Restorative Practices and inclusive teaching. 

One of the best compliments I received from a family was when they shared that their child told them they loved kindergarten, but really wasn't learning anything because they "get to play all day".  The family went on to share all of the skills, both social and academic they were seeing their child develop through kindergarten.  It reminded me so much of this quote:   “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” -Fred Rogers