About

Nice to Meet You!

I am a 40 something mother of three adult children and a wife for 26 years. 26 years seems like a long time, but it has really flown by. I love spending time with my family and friends playing board games, going to the movies, camping, hiking, and enjoying yummy food at restaurants. When I’m not with my family or at work, I am probably focusing on my church callings and participating in activities there. Currently, I serve as the technology specialist for my church. I run all of their virtual meetings and set up all the equipment for all the events and do training for others. Always the educator, even in my personal life.

I have always been an educator even as a young girl. I used to teach classes in my garage over the summer and the neighborhood kids would come by – I have no idea why they would volunteer to do homework from me during the summer but they did.

 I naturally love to teach, I get so much pleasure from seeing others learn and do well and be successful. As a teenager, I worked in the school library helping others research and find information, and then at my first job, or I should say my first official job at Chuck E. Cheese I quickly moved from being a hostess to a certified trainer for my store. Just a quick side note because I know you are wondering,  I only wore the costume once I hated it I’m a little claustrophobic and I really felt uncomfortable in that costume, but the site despite the fact that I’m a total introvert I did get up and dance in front of everyone because it was part of my job. I learned at a very young age to face my introvert tendencies head-on; when it was required.

 As an adult, I started my time in education as an instructional assistant at only 18 years old. I worked in an elementary school in the local area in the special ed classroom and found my love for teaching reading early on, but I also found that I really wanted to work with older children. Even though I love the little kids, I really love the conversation discussion, and passion of older students. I went from being an instructional aide to a full-time mom for a few years and then I worked in another school district as a sub for practically all positions other than a teacher. I moved from school to school being the health clerk, being the noon duty supervisor, to helping with the front office – it was an eye-opening experience and helped me to have true respect for all staff at schools and the important role they play in schools. I also spent years volunteering at schools and working with the PTSA. I even became the head of PTSA membership for all of Orange County. Through this experience, I learned about the importance of advocacy and service and how volunteers are priceless!

When I first finished my credential, I decided to look for work as a teacher, my plan was to work in the community as an ESL teacher and to bring my kids with me and put them in the on-site childcare. It was the perfect opportunity for me to teach and still take care of my kids. At the time my husband was overseas with the military and then up north for training, so I was essentially a single mom and didn’t have childcare. But the world had different plans for me and when I went in for my interview, I did get the night job teaching ESL in the community, but I also got a day job teaching full-time in an alternative Ed school. I literally had two days to find childcare for my children, including my youngest son who was only two, and to develop a curriculum to teach all four levels of high school English and pre-algebra. Needless to say, it’s was a whirlwind experience, but I loved every minute of it. Never did I think that I would work in alternative Ed, but those students immediately grabbed my heart and they will always be a part of my life. 

During this time I felt challenged and inadequate serving the students because they had so many needs that my original education did not prepare me for. So, I went back to school and earned two master’s degrees in the evenings so I could better serve these amazing students. One in cross-cultural teaching and to go back to my love of teaching reading I became a reading specialist ultimately working with junior high and high school students who have learning disabilities and simply did not learn to read. Working with them and running a Summer Reading Academy out of my home for students with special needs and reading disabilities for several years were some of the most fulfilling times of my life. 

After teaching for 10 years and serving as department chair and many TOSA positions, I decided it was time to look into administration. Administration was never my plan, but I found myself taking the lead on the committee after committee and just naturally participating in all aspects of the school and district. It was time for me to grow and I did. 

Rather quickly,  I got my first job as an assistant principal but as the pattern goes for me it wasn’t what I expected because I was split between two junior high schools. It was so difficult to wrap my head around building a schedule where I could support students, staff, and the community at two different locations simultaneously. That first year I felt like I was always playing catch-up. While I love being a part of all the things that I was leading as an administrator, I hated being torn in two different directions. Thankfully, after that experience, I was given the opportunity to be the only assistant principal at a large high-performing junior high. I learned so much and took on even more responsibility, but again I loved every minute of it. Then my mentor, my principal got moved and a new principal came. During this time I had to step up even more and train the new principal even though they were my boss. I was very often the lead on practically everything. 

The following year, I was then promoted to high school and served as an assistant principal for several years. This high school was a high-performing International Baccalaureate school with strong CTE pathways, award-winning visual and performing arts programs, and strong sports teams. Once again I had an opportunity to grow and learn and expand my service to a community. It was a great experience, then one week before winter break I received a call from the district office that they wanted to meet with me and I was asked to take over and serve as interim principal at that high school. At the time I expected it to be a short position, but it lasted the entire year. At the end of that year, I was offered a full-time position as principal at the school where I currently work. 

Walker Jr. High has been such a great experience. I love every minute of the challenges and the celebrations and getting to know the students, a staff, and a community, and moving forward with our strong vision. I’m hoping I get to stay at this school for the entire time I’m in my doctorate program. 

Earning my doctorate is really not something that I need to do to stay in my current position, but it is a lifelong dream and I will be the first in my immediate family to achieve this goal. Just like in the past I find myself taking on leadership positions and committees that move me from the campus level to the district and county level, so earning this doctorate should help me once again move forward on my career path. That’s just a little intro about me and my journey, feel free to join me and see where my next adventure leads.