As a teacher, I believe I am most effective when I act as a mentor to stimulate and guide my students to creative discovery. The subject matter is unimportant, be it math or art, literature or history. When a student has his or her flame kindled by that "Ah ha!" moment, learning is most durable and transferable to other areas and situations. I learned this style of teaching from my mother; she was always asking me questions to stimulate my thinking. Though she never entered the teaching profession, she is a natural teacher. I picked up my teaching style from her through osmosis, practicing my pedagogy on my many younger siblings. I continued to practice teaching in high school as a member of Future Teachers of America. Later, I received a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education and art education from Western State College of Colorado, graduating summa cum laude. In 2002, I earned a Master of Arts in curriculum and instruction from the University of Colorado.

I now have been teaching for 21 years in a wide variety of positions. For the past 11 years, I have been teaching art in kindergarten through fifth grade. I also have taught numerous workshops for my peers and after-school programs for students as a classroom teacher in grades one through five. When I taught first grade, I mentored a student teacher. I have led workshops with gifted students and tutoring for remedial and expelled students. I am a mentor writing teacher for the Colorado Writing Project, director and art mentor for the Art Docent Program, and regional coordinator for Teach-Now alternative licensure teaching candidates for Western State College of Colorado.

In my long teaching career, I've had many opportunities to serve in leadership roles. I've served on school leadership teams; technology teams; curriculum committees for art, social studies, and reading; communications teams; and professional learning task forces. Currently, I am working to revise the elementary report card and will be part of the pilot program next year. I also serve on Northside's technology team and facilitate the district elementary art curriculum team. I was nominated by my district for Teacher of the Year and received two Disney Creative Ticket nominations for teaching in the arts and the Denver Art Museum's Award for Excellence in Teaching. I am honored by my selection as one of the U.S. Department of Education's Teaching Ambassador Fellows.

I live in a beautiful area of southwestern Colorado, which I enjoy with my husband, Kurt, and my daughter, Marissa. With an artist husband, we both enjoy sketching and painting outdoors. We share our country home with two cats, a German shepherd, and two horses. I am passionate about riding and training my lovely Lippizan in dressage. I also love to garden and weave.