overview

• I entered the education field in 1999 while living in Chapel Hill and attending UNC Chapel Hill. Serving as an afterschool group leader and tutor, I fell in love with teaching elementary-aged children. For several years, I was a stay-at-home mother, teaching my children and fascinated by their natural curiosities. I decided to return to school to pursue my Master's degree and teacher certification at night at Elon University. In 2004, my family moved to the mountains of NC and I transferred to Gardner Webb University to complete my certification and degree. After graduating in 2008, I secured my first teaching job in the small district of Newton-Conover Schools. For the next 9 years, I dedicated myself to teaching in underperforming Title 1 schools in the Piedmont region of the state. In my fourth year of teaching, I earned the National Board certification. Despite my deep connection with my students and their families, I decided to pursue my terminal degree so that I could pay forward all of the wonderful mentorships that I received as a new teacher. I tailored my dissertation research to examine new teacher support efforts in Winston Salem Forsyth County Schools. I served ECU as a teaching assistant professor for 5 years (2017-2022), making the transition from the elementary classroom to undergraduate work with pre-service teachers. In Fall 2022, I came on board as a tenure track assistant professor with a focus on classroom management, trauma-sensitive teaching, and social and emotional learning. I am grateful for the opportunity to play a role in molding the next generation of teachers to be student-focused, data-driven, and life-long learners for their elementary students.