I attended Grand View College.  I graduated in 1999, majoring in Elementary Education.  I received endorsements in the areas of Reading, Language Arts, and Early Childhood.  I am starting my 26^th year of teaching.  My first year of teaching was in Newton, Iowa.  I taught 1^st and 2^nd grade reading.   Then, I taught four years at Wallace Elementary in Des Moines.  There, I taught 4^th and 5^th grade and was also the 3^rd-5^th Literacy Leader. I graduated with my Masters Degree in Elementary Education from Viterbo University in Wisconsin during the summer of 2005.  This is my 21^st year at Pleasant Hill teaching 5^th grade.

I have a 19-year-old son, Brett, and a 17-year-old daughter, Kendall.  Brett attends Tiffin University in Tiffin, Ohio.  Kendall is a junior in high school.  We have a Miniature Dachshund named Sugar.  I enjoy attending my children’s sporting events.  I enjoy being outside.  I enjoy spending time with my children and the rest of my family, friends, and of course, Sugar!