Growing up

Picture
I was that child that LOVED to write stories on paper (yes, on paper), draw pictures, hole punch them, tie with string and yarn, and read them to the younger kids in my neighborhood. The crinkling sound of the pages was my favorite sound in the world! I even made paper doll characters to act out the scenes. This was a huge door opener for me into babysitting and eventually teaching. Now that I am a writer, I still share my stories, and hopefully they will be in actual book format! My mission is to share stories that inspire children to be the best person they can be and to nurture their love of reading.

Building literacy

PictureReading with a student in the Book Buddies Summer Program
I've been teaching grades 5 and 6 for the past 29 years. Something I've learned by observing the changes in kids during this time is the critical need for children to continue to build their literacy skills in a time where technology largely competes for their attention. Reading as a family and early in a child's life is as important as ever in this technologically changing world. I see this as an important part of my role as a parent, teacher, and writer.

Our "bears"

PictureHank and Madeleine, our two Akitas
When I met my husband in 1992, he had just acquired a  stray Akita. We fell in love with this majestic and noble breed. Our current "bears" as they are often referred to, are Hank and Madeleine. The very first manuscript I wrote was about them and it is sitting waiting for the right time to revisit. They bring nothing but joy, unconditional love, quality time going for walks, as well as muddy paws and a lot of hair. Akitas have been a part of us for a quarter of a century. My best ideas for teaching and writing come from from our early 5am walks and late night walks. Kids will ask what we are going to do today or for our next project and I always tell them, "Hank and Madeleine said..." or we are still figuring it out!