I am originally from New York! I attended Manhattanville College where I earned a BA in Music, with minors in Psychology and Education. I hold a Master's degree in English from Boston University. I have three educational licenses: Elementary Ed, Music K-12, and English 6-12. In addition to teaching at South Meck, I tutor privately in all areas of literacy and I teach piano and play pipe organ for churches.
Teaching English literature is my passion! I've loved reading stories since forever, and I get really excited about sharing my enthusiasm of my favorite works with my students! I enjoy teaching writing, too, a skill that has been overshadowed by technology. I believe that literacy achievement occurs as a combined result from acquiring both content and confidence! Skills and strategies need to be modeled, but when students truly believe that they CAN, then they WILL.
I relocated to Charlotte in 1999, where I met my husband. We live in Ballantyne with our three girls: Emily, Natalie and Michelle. Yes, my husband is outnumbered by four females! And no, we don't even have any male pet!
Aside from English and music, my other big interest is travel - I'll go just about anywhere! My favorite way to see a city is to walk - miles a day, absorbing the culture, vibe, food, people! I love going to the movies and I'm a big Musical Theater Junkie - NY Broadway is amazing!
Here are 10 useless facts about me:
1. My favorite color is purple. I really like colors overall and I always color-code my book annotations!
2. I have been a vegetarian since the age of eleven. I cannot become vegan, though, because I love cheese way too much.
3. I love anything citrus. I will always add fresh lemons, limes or oranges to sparkling water or tea and I love foods (savory and sweet) that include citrus flavor. My citrus love includes candles and perfume scents, too!
4. I prefer warm/hot temperatures to any cold day. My husband and I battle about turning the AC/heat up and down, since I'm usually cold.
5. I am fascinated with the FBI and crime shows! I enjoy the psychological aspect of putting clues together to solve a case or investigate a crime scene.
6. I am terrified of snakes. I would rather find myself face-to-face with a grizzly bear.
7. I dislike math and working with numbers; I much prefer dealing with words - in fact, I'd rather write a 50-page paper than do 5 math problems!
8. I have been wearing contact lenses since the age of eleven. I pop them in as soon as I wake up and I don't remove them until right before bed. Not a day has gone by that they haven't been in my eyes!
9. I am pretty sure that I'm the only person in the universe who doesn't like coffee! I can't stand the smell or taste of it or anything coffee-flavored.
10. I try not to repeat travel destinations; there are too many places in the world to see and not nearly enough time.
I am happy to be a part of the South Meck staff, and I look forward to supporting your son/daughter in any capacity. Feel free to email me for any reason; I am quick to respond :)
Teaching English literature is my passion! I've loved reading stories since forever, and I get really excited about sharing my enthusiasm of my favorite works with my students! I enjoy teaching writing, too, a skill that has been overshadowed by technology. I believe that literacy achievement occurs as a combined result from acquiring both content and confidence! Skills and strategies need to be modeled, but when students truly believe that they CAN, then they WILL.
I relocated to Charlotte in 1999, where I met my husband. We live in Ballantyne with our three girls: Emily, Natalie and Michelle. Yes, my husband is outnumbered by four females! And no, we don't even have any male pet!
Aside from English and music, my other big interest is travel - I'll go just about anywhere! My favorite way to see a city is to walk - miles a day, absorbing the culture, vibe, food, people! I love going to the movies and I'm a big Musical Theater Junkie - NY Broadway is amazing!
Here are 10 useless facts about me:
1. My favorite color is purple. I really like colors overall and I always color-code my book annotations!
2. I have been a vegetarian since the age of eleven. I cannot become vegan, though, because I love cheese way too much.
3. I love anything citrus. I will always add fresh lemons, limes or oranges to sparkling water or tea and I love foods (savory and sweet) that include citrus flavor. My citrus love includes candles and perfume scents, too!
4. I prefer warm/hot temperatures to any cold day. My husband and I battle about turning the AC/heat up and down, since I'm usually cold.
5. I am fascinated with the FBI and crime shows! I enjoy the psychological aspect of putting clues together to solve a case or investigate a crime scene.
6. I am terrified of snakes. I would rather find myself face-to-face with a grizzly bear.
7. I dislike math and working with numbers; I much prefer dealing with words - in fact, I'd rather write a 50-page paper than do 5 math problems!
8. I have been wearing contact lenses since the age of eleven. I pop them in as soon as I wake up and I don't remove them until right before bed. Not a day has gone by that they haven't been in my eyes!
9. I am pretty sure that I'm the only person in the universe who doesn't like coffee! I can't stand the smell or taste of it or anything coffee-flavored.
10. I try not to repeat travel destinations; there are too many places in the world to see and not nearly enough time.
I am happy to be a part of the South Meck staff, and I look forward to supporting your son/daughter in any capacity. Feel free to email me for any reason; I am quick to respond :)