About Me/Contact Me

I am an educator with over 25 years of teaching experience; I currently teach English in the great state of Virginia.  In my spare time, I am an avid reader. writer, reviewer, blogger, writing/art journaler, beekeeper, graduate student, and MOTHER.  Three of my biggest accomplishments have been my induction into Alpha Delta Kappa, which is an international honorary organization of women educators dedicated to educational excellence, altruism and world understanding, my acceptance into Longwood University's Institute for Teaching through Technology and Innovative Practices Symposium entitled Integrating Reading and Writing into STEM Problem Based Learning, and my continued adjudication of the writing portfolios for the Appomattox Regional Governor's School for the Arts And Technology which is a public regional magnet high school in downtown Petersburg, Virginia, 2015 marks my eighth year as an adjudicator.

My blog, The Things You Can Read, has garnered over 500 followers (GFC, Bloglovin, and email) in its five-year existence.  At last count The Things You Can Read has had over 590,000 page views and on a weekly average the blog sees over 400 unique visitors and over 300 first time visitors, these statistics are based on StatCounter's weekly report.  One of the goals of the site is to feature reviews of Children's Picture Books, Young Adult  Novels, and Adult Literary Fiction/Nonfiction, a second goal for the blog is to be a resource for teachers of English and writing--with examples of student created writing, writing tips, resource links, and the opportunity to pick the brain of a seasoned English teacher, but our ultimate goal is to reach out into the blogosphere and be a "Book Whisperer" and "Writing Whisperer" to children and adults of all ages.  To spice things up, every now and then, I also include random quotes and thoughts on education and life in general for those living a life filled with books and "lifelong learning".

I have vacillated back and forth with what type of degree to pursue in a Master’s Program and I had actually started a Master’s Degree Program at Virginia State University (VSU) in English, but the past eight years have been ones of extreme change.  After starting the VSU Master's program in 2009, I become a mother of four of five and under: twins and two singletons, all in rapid succession.  The challenges of motherhood have been many, but the most unexpected was the diagnosis of my oldest child with Asperger's Syndrome, which is what sparked my interest in pursuing my MEd, with a concentration/certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders.  This combined with my background in gifted education seemed the perfect mix between my personal and professional lives.  I am well versed in the educational issues facing families today on many levels and feel I will have so much to give back to the community in which I work and live with an MEd, with a concentration/certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorder.  The Mary Baldwin M.Ed program also allows me the flexibility to pursue my Masters Degree at Mary Baldwin College online, which is a perfect fit with my current lifestyle.

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