I was born in Plattsburgh, NY and grew up there with my parents, two sisters and one brother. We had a big neighborhood with over 50 kids just on our block and we had people to play with, no matter the weather, all year ’round day and night.
I have been married to my husband Tony for almost 29 years. We met in an Italian restaurant where we both worked in Fort Collins, Colorado. We live in Waitsfield and drive over a covered bridge to get to and from our home each day.
Education and Professional Experiences
This is my 33rd year of teaching and I have worked in a variety of schools, in classrooms, Chapter I, and intervention settings from Coventry to South Burlington. While working for the Fayston Elementary School, I trained as a Reading Recovery teacher. After that, I spent 9 years as a Reading Recovery Teacher Leader in northwest Vermont. Just prior to coming to Winooski full- time I worked as the director of the Green Mountain Writing Project (NWP). Everything I have done has kept me working and practicing in classrooms or with students which helps me to stay grounded in the practice of teaching. I received both my undergraduate and graduate degrees from UVM and completed a literacy/leadership post-graduate program to become a Reading Recovery Teacher Leader at Lesley University.
What has been your greatest learning experience? (in or out of school)
I grew up in a wonderful family where we talked, laughed and learned together all of our lives. Both my parents were teachers and creative. My father was a professor of sculpture and art history, and my mother was a professor of home economics- clothing and textiles. As my parents were fond of quoting, “The only things you can give your children are roots and wings.” They did both and I try to emulate their spirit in my teaching. Through their association with Plattsburgh State, I was able to attend the Margaret M. Sibley School for Educational Researach and Development, known as the Campus School. Our school piloted programs that have echoes in what schools are still trying to accomplish to this day: Individualized Learning, Interest-driven Curriculum, Effective Social Cohorts, Authentic Learning, Authentic Audiences, Project-Based Inquiry, etc.
What do you love about your current WSD position and the WSD community?
I am supported by colleagues and l feel increasingly connected to the greater WSD community. I am learning to care deeply for the amazing students who make up our schools. I look forward to the ever growing potential of what we can accomplish through working together.
Who do you admire and why?
I admire people who are brave enough to tell the truth and kind enough to do so in a helpful way. I admire parents, courageously bringing up their children in a vastly uncertain world. I admire creative expression, the necessity to show how one feels in a variety of modes and mediums.