I am a life long resident of Cass City.  I have made brief homes in Fargo, North Dakota, Hillsdale and Mayville, Michigan.  I hold Bachelors in Education, Elementary Endorsement, Gifted and Talented certification, Technology in Education certification and a Masters in Secondary Administration.  I have been with the Cass City district since 1978 and taught previously in Mt. Pleasant High School, Morley-Stanwood High School and Mayville Sunshine Nursery School.  I have also taught the gifted and adult education at the Tuscola ISD and in Frankenmuth art centers.  With the variety of training, the ability to teach diverse subjects has resulted in many changes and subjects of study while at Cass City.

I come from a background of education and medicine.  My preference has always been with the opportunity for creativity.  In high school, I studied with Leontine Wallace and the Saginaw Art Museum art department.  At home I paint, draw, weave, spin and create porcelain dolls and sew garments and design embroidery.  A growing group of alpacas, llama, chickens, ducks, dog and cat occupy more of my free time.  A serious attempt to garden and create perennial flowerbeds tests my green thumb and creativity. 

As a former single mom with three children, I am well aware of issues with children, their parents and the expectations society places on all of them, good and bad.  I expect that students entering my classroom understand that they are there along with many others to receive the fruits of all of my training.  This means that they must adjust to areas of study that may not be down their alley, which teaches patience and respect.  In the meantime they might realize that first impressions are not always accurate.  I try to teach skills to my students that can be integrated into all classrooms and curriculums.

It is my goal to show students techniques to make school easier, faster, more fun which then allows them the added benefits of getting projects completed on time, better looking and puts the students in the control seat for their investigations and research skills.  Students are expected to finish all assignments for their grade that is evaluated on criteria met, not on errors or talent.  This allows all students the ability to succeed.  It is deliberate on the part of the student to receive a low or failing grade.  This reflects the emptiness of project completion.  I believe that all students have the right to learn and I have the right to teach without interference.  I support all the pillars of character as printed in the student handbook, and expect students to do the same.  I support the use of the planner as a tool for dialog between school, child and parent regardless of whether it is signed on a daily basis.  This is a tool to see what is happening each day in the life of your child and how he or she is succeeding.  I welcome visitors, and new learners if you want to be able to do what your child is doing in class on the computer.