When I was 4 years old, I used to line up my dolls, put crayons in their hands and snap them with a ruler. I told my mother I wanted to be a teacher and she asked me if I thought that was the way it worked. While I definitely did not apply my 4 year old interpretation of education to my professional career, I was in Education for 35 years. I began my career teaching Kindergarten through 3rd grade, and then when my children were young I taught preschool. When my children grew older, I taught both elementary school and middle school.

Today, I am the Student Teacher Supervisor at the University of Missouri at Kansas City.

I received my Associate's degree from St. Joseph's Junior College and went on to receive my Bachelor's in Education from Central Missouri University. I then received a full scholarship to attend The University of Missouri-Kansas City where I earned my Master's in Curriculum and Instruction. I also took many courses in the teaching of reading.

My biggest challenge, as a woman, was being verbally harassed by the Principal when I was teaching in an elementary school.

I have a wonderful ability to reach students who are struggling personally or academically and help them succeed.

I worked in an area with a lot of gangs when I taught middle school, and I made it my mission to teach my students there that there is a life outside of that world. Each year we took a group of 18 students to the Colgate-Palmolive company to show them that opportunities for them to get out of that environment are all around them, if they are willing to work hard enough. 

My goal is to continue to do what I am doing - I love it! I also plan to devote more of myself and my time to doing volunteer work in the community.

I am inspired by my own love of learning and passion for education, and just bearing witness to what is going on in education and in the classroom now.

I want to be remembered for being a loving wife and a good mother, teacher, and friend.

• The Dr. Paul Scholarship, Full Scholarship
• Teacher of the Year

• Ohev Sholom Synagogue

I love to shop and I love fashion - I dabbled in modeling!