Education: 

Bachelor of Science in Educational Studies 

Experience: 

Over 32 years’ experience in education, Special Education training, Gifted Education training, ABA Practice training, Floating paraprofessional, Job coach, Private tutor, Reading interventionist, Private school cofounder/administrator, Youth pastor/children's church teacher. I have been teaching at HRLA since 2014—making this class my 10th at Hope Ranch. 

Teaching Philosophy: 

My overarching philosophy toward teaching is that all children deserve to be academically challenged, since this is how they grow. However, challenge does not equal frustration. It is the difference between what a child can do independently and what he or she is capable of doing with targeted assistance. As a result, I am constantly reevaluating the effectiveness of my approach and adjusting to addressing the needs of the individual child. At the same time, all children need to know that they are loved and accepted for who they are right now, not what they will be some day. That means that, while we always work to help them to improve in their areas of weakness, it is more important that they recognize that God loves them just the way they are and that their unique contribution is vital to the classroom community. As a result, our classroom culture reflects diligent effort, mutual support and JOY! 

When you hear that a school is a Christian school, you may think that they say a prayer at some point in the day, they have a chapel of some sort, and that they are probably okay with having a "Christmas break" instead of a "Winter Break"...but Hope Ranch is so much more than that! Every morning, the entire teaching staff meets to pray for each other’s needs, as well as the needs of the students. Our discipline directly reflects biblical principles, and--when our students are having a rough day--it is not uncommon for the entire class to pray for them. Academically, we are always striving to meet the needs of the students using whatever methods have been proven effective, and our administration encourages our input and feedback. Finally--and most obviously--I absolutely LOVE our kids. I love having students for several years so that I can use that experience to forge that bond with them and really hone in on what motivates them. We work hard and we laugh hard...and I can truly say that I LOVE coming to "work" every day!