Mission Statement
To focus on and promote student academic success and staff professional growth by supporting and coaching students, parents and staff in creating a school environment where all students and adults are learners and become leaders. To accomplish my mission, I promise to listen first, and then ask questions to get a clearer understanding of the students, parents, or colleagues’ issues. We will work together to find the best solutions, and then we'll take action. About Me Educational Background Teaching Experience I have been an educator in public and private schools for 20 plus years. Fall 1987, I began my teaching career as a high school mathematics teacher at Mt. Tabor High School in Winston-Salem, NC. In 1990, my husband, Marshall, and I moved to Pocatello, Idaho where he attended graduate school at Idaho State University and I taught 9th grade math at Hawthorne Junior High. Upon graduating from ISU, Marshall and I moved to Raleigh, NC. I began my next teaching job as a middle school math teacher at Ravenscroft School. Eventually, Marshall's job with North Carolina State Parks brought us to Statesville. While employed by Iredell-Statesville Schools, I've been an 8th grade math teacher at West Iredell Middle, Instructional Facilitator at West Iredell Middle, Secondary Instructional Facilitator Coach/District Trainer and an assistant principal at Brawley Middle School and South Iredell High School. In March 2012, I became an assistant principal here at Statesville Middle School. Personal Info I am the fifth child of seven. I was born in Abilene, TX and I grew up in Warner Robins and LaGrange, GA. I am the first female on my father and mother side of the family to graduate from a four year university. My father is an Irish immigrant and my mother is a Canadian immigrant. Both of my parents were high school drop outs due to family financial situtations. My mother worked in factory and my father enlisted in the Army-Air Corp (later renamed US Air Force). About 10 years after dropping out of school, they met and then married . My mother ended up being a stay-at-home mom (she had 7 of us to raise) and my father eventually became a pilot in US Air Force. My father was assigned to the Strategic Air Command (SAC) as a B-52 pilot. He is a Korean War and Vietnam War veteran. My parents' expectation for me, my 3 brothers and 3 sisters is to always do our best, and dropping out of school was never an option. They just didn't expect all of us to go to college. Four of us have 4 year undergraduate degrees and continued to get our masters degree. The other 3 have either earned associates degree (2 year degree in the area of their studies) or earn license/certification in their area of study. My oldest brother recently has gone back to school and is expected to complete his 4 year degree soon. We all found a way to pay for our education through student loans, work study and/or scholarships. Our parents help us as much as they could.
I was always active in sports and an average to above average student. Mathematics, Science and PE were always my favorite subjects. In high school, I focused on playing basketball and preparing for college. During basketball practice in my sophomore year in high school, I injured my knee. To be active again and possibly continue to play basketball, my knee required major reconstructive surgery. I had the surgery and spent 6 months on crunches. I was unable to continue playing basketball. I was given riding a bicycle was part of my rehab after surgery and I began racing bicycles my senior year in high school and then while I was in college and after I graduated. I earned spots on regional and national teams which afforded me the opportunities to participate in races across the US, in France and in Australia. I qualified for the Cyclng Olympic Trials in the 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympic Trials. My last year of racing bicycles was in 2000. I miss racing but I do not miss the long hours of training. Because I was a teach with the summers off, I was able to work full-time and race almost full-time. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to to both at the same time because racing bicycles provided me an opportunity to travel and meet lots of people from all around the world and bring back stories or ideas back to the classroom to help make math relevant for my students. Favorite Activities Cycling, running, swimming, hiking, camping, backpacking and rock climbing Favorite Quote "To truly reform American education
we must abandon the long-standing assumption
that the central activity is teaching and reorient all policy
around the new benchmark: student learning." ~from Smart School, Smart Kids by Fiske |
