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Child Development
I took child development all four years of high school resulting in an internship at Monocacy Elementary School. I knew that I wanted to work with children, I just did not in what capacity. -
Frostburg State University
I did my teacher prep undergraduate work at Frostburg State University where I majored in history and minored in political science in addition to earning a secondary education certificate in the state of Maryland. A professor told me that I was born to teach middle school, and off I went. -
Starting My Career as a Middle School Teacher
I was hired to teach middle school social studies in Frederick County Public Schools. I worked at Windson Knolls Middle School as a 7th and 8th grade Social Studies teacher, teaching Medieval and Ancient History for 4 years, and left to open a new school in 2003. I taught American studies and Ancient History at Oakdale Middle School until the birth of my oldest daughter in 2007. -
Middle School Teaching Experience
I wrote curriculum, was on the school improvement team, served as team leader, was a new teacher mentor, and a Social Studies Department Chair. All of these roles helped me to grow as an educator and a person. -
Curriculum Writing
I had my daughters I decided to work from home. I worked for K12 writing curriculum and managing course development. This job not only allowed me to sty home with my daughters, it also gave me online experience that I would come to rely on later in my career. I learned how to manage a diverse team of production experts to create online courses. -
Moved to Northern California
We moved to California for a job opportunity for my partner. We settled in a town called Alameda in the San Francisco Bay area. I taught English and Social Studies at Encinal Jr./Sr. High School. It was very difficult to go back into the classroom after having worked form home for so many years with small chilodren. In this new state, I had to earn two new teaching credentials in English and Teaching English Learners. -
Moved Back to Frederick
We decided to move back to Frederick to purchase a home and return to our roots. I started teaching for Frederick County. I taught at West Frederick Middle School for 5 years and then moved to Frederick High School. It was here when I realized that I no longer wanted to teach Social Studies. My experience in Oakland allowed me to understand that I was called to serve marginalized populations and I became a multilingual teacher. -
Frederick County Teacher of The Year
I was awarder the Frederick County Teacher of The Year Award in 2022 for my work with Multilingual learners and LGBTQ population. I learned that FCPS wanted my diverse look and beliefs, but I was more of a talking head in this role. I now try to use this platform as an oportunity to speak out gainst people like Sherif Chuck Jenkins, and other institutionally racist establishments in Frederick County. I served on the Racial Equity Committee to promote CRT. -
Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health at Hood College
I am currently working on earning a Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health at Hood College. I have learned so much about myself during this process and am looking forward to the next chapter of my life.
I have realized that I am not going to make any real change for marginalized youth as a cog in the machine. I want to provide mental health support for the many traumatized adolesents and adults in Frederick Maryland.