Mentor Biography

2008 to Present
My education includes having recieved a B.S. from what was then Oregon College of Education and now is Western Oregon University, Monmouth, Oregon, a reading endorsement and a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Alaska, Anchorage.

I very much struggled during my first two years of teaching in Clatskanie, Oregon. I left there feeling frustrated and was ready to quit teaching based on my inability to create the kind of caring and engaging community of learners that I had envisioned. I moved to Bethel, Alaska and worked as a co-recreation director for the City of Bethel through a contract with Camp Fire. The following year I was hired to teach physical education and humanities to primary students. Teaching subjects that my students' and I loved while working along side some fantastic teachers gave me the confidence to continue teaching, with an emphasis on celebrating the positive in every student and situation.

I have taught in every grade level, have experience in single and multi-grade classrooms, have served as a principal/teacher and as a reading/language arts/math Title I specialist. I have spent the last 35+ years living, loving the grand adventure of life, learning and teaching in the Iditarod Area School District (Grayling, Anvik, Shageluk, Holy Cross and McGrath), the Saint Mary's School District, and the Anchorage School District (Mountain View, William Tyson, and Willow Crest Elementary Schools). Areas of special interest within education include literacy, math, integrated content, and humanities instruction; multicultural & bilingual education; and working with at-risk learners.