A Little about Me...
I grew up in North Carolina, a Tarheel born and bred, and knew I wanted to be a teacher from a young age. After high school, I attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a part of the NC Teaching Fellows Program. I graduated in 2005 with a BA in Elementary Education and a focus in Language Arts and Literature. I then taught kindergarten for three years in a diverse public school in Durham, NC that had a particularly high concentration of English Language Learners. My second year of teaching, I obtained my add-on license in English as a Second Language to better meet the needs of these students.
In July of 2008, my husband and I had the amazing opportunity to move to Hong Kong and work at Hong Kong International School. I found the school to be not only an enriching environment for students, but also for me as a teacher, particularly due to incredible professional development opportunities and the highly qualified faculty and administration. I taught Reception 2 (the equivalent of kindergarten) for two years at HKIS, then had a baby and decided to stay home to be a mom for a while. In spring of 2011, I started my MAED through MSU, which I will finish this summer before Baby #2 arrives in October. I am also currently doing a little private tutoring and substitute teaching at HKIS.
In my free time, which can be difficult to come by these days, I enjoy traveling, cooking, music, photography, and exercise. I love living abroad for so many reasons, but particularly because it has allowed me to experience people, places, and cultures I was not exposed to in the States. My family and I will be in Hong Kong for the next two years, then we'll have to decide if we want to stay or see another part of the world!