About

A little bit about me:

• I have been teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) for more years than I’d like to admit! It is a job I absolutely love.
• In addition to being an ESL teacher, I am a tech mentor at my school. I LOVE ed tech! Many of my blog posts will be about integrating technology with language learning.
• I am currently teaching kindergarten ESL, or ENL (English as a New Language) as we like to call it in New York.
• I am certified in both Elementary Education (preschool through grade 6), and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) grades K-12. I received my undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from Wheaton College in Illinois. I obtained my master’s degree in TESOL from Nazareth College in Rochester, NY.
• I’ve had the privilege of teaching in a variety of settings, both urban and suburban. I began my career as a first and second grade classroom teacher, but quickly followed my passion of working with multilingual learners. My first ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) position was in an urban bilingual school. In the same district, I transferred to a diverse school, working primarily with refugee students. After some time as a stay-at-home mom, I landed a job in my current district. I love working in a primary school with students from all over the world!
• Although the majority of my experience is with ESL students in an elementary school setting in the U.S., early in my career I spent several summers in the Czech Republic teaching English to teens at summer camps. I also spent a summer working with the teen children of migrant workers in Brockport, NY.

Fun stuff about me:

• I LOVE to travel! I also love curling up with a book and a hot cup of coffee when traveling is not an option.
• Did I mention that I love coffee? It is definitely one of my favorite things in life!
• I live with my husband and my two teen boys (although my oldest just started college, so it’s a bit quieter this year!). We are a rather techy family. My husband is a software engineer, my son is studying software engineering, and the youngest wants to go into some type of STEM field as well. With all of the computer talk in my family, it probably explains why I love integrating technology with  language teaching!
• My husband and I coached a FIRST LEGO League robotics team for seven years.
• I love watching NFL football, and I am a HUGE Buffalo Bills fan. Go Bills!
• As much as I love technology, I also love to unplug. My faith is important to me, and I find I need quiet time to recharge daily.
• Speaking of unplugging, I love hiking and camping with my family! New York has wonderful state parks, and we camp at one or more every summer.
• I also love sharing fun teaching ideas! (Check out my resource sections! If you are interested, sign up below for my email newsletter and access to the FREE resource section of this website.)

Thanks for stopping by!