In November 2003, I became a Nationally Board Certified Teacher. This certification is a huge accomplishment that I worked very hard to receive. I had to meet rigorous standards in the classroom and devoted over 100 hours on research and planning! What a relief that I passed the certification!!!

I've been a teacher at Country Isles since 1997 and have taught both third and fourth grade!

In 2000, I took on the role of Fourth Grade Team Leader, where I acted as a liaison between the other fourth grade teachers and the administration. This school year, I am the third grade team leader with the same responsibilities.

During my first year teaching, I started the Books-a-Million Student Author Night program, which promoted writing in all grade levels. This program has grown so much that it is now a part of our school's SAC goals.

I've also helped the school raise money through the General Mills Box Tops for Education program. For two years, my class was in charge of collecting, counting and reporting all the totals for the box tops. We earned hundreds of dollars, thanks to the participation of the entire school!

Technology is very important to me, therefore it is a huge part of our class! I try to incorporate computers into many of our projects and activities! My previous classes have created slideshows on the Solar System using Hyperstudio and presented their shows to all of the parents in our class. That was exciting!!

I come from a long line of teachers… my mother, grandmother, sisters, aunt… the list goes on! So I've always known that teaching was where I belong! I grew up in Coral Springs with my mom, dad and two older sisters (who are both GATORS too!) Now I live with my husband in Plantation, only a few miles away from school!

I got married on April 6, 2003 to the man of my dreams, Ron. We met through one of my former students (Ron was the student's uncle!). We got engaged in the classroom (did you see it in the newspaper or on Channel 10 news?). And to bring it all together, we included the students who helped propose to take part in our wedding ceremony. I feel lucky to have been able to combine my "personal" passion with my "professional" passion!

In 1999, I raised over $4000 for the Leukemia Society of America. In return, they trained me to run a marathon (26.2 miles). My sister, Susan, and I trained together and ran the marathon in Maui, Hawaii. The rest of my family came to support us (and to have a nice vacation out there, too!!) Then, seven months later, I trained again and ran the New York Marathon (November 2000). A few months after that, I ran the Disney Half-Marathon. Since then, I'll admit I've been pretty lazy!! But I'm trying to get back into shape!! :)