About Me

I come to teaching after 15-plus years working in communications and public education at a human rights-focused nonprofit. I have always believed that my path would lead to teaching.

My mother was a teacher. So was my grandmother. Several of my teachers made lasting impressions on me – especially Ms. Stauffer, the 4th grade social studies teacher who covered the wall in paper so we could draw giant murals of the countries we were learning about, and Mrs. Drane, the 6th grade reading teacher who introduced me to Gary Paulsen and Susan Cooper and Jerry Spinelli. 

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My first job out of college was as a preschool teacher. I loved the challenge of meeting students where they were, of reacting to their interests and ideas and making learning relevant. 

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After that, as an Americorps volunteer in the Portland schools, I helped teachers, students and community organizations partner to create curriculum-aligned service learning projects. I watched students grow as their learning was made real and relevant. 

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Later, in researching the report “We Belong Here” for the ACLU, about the experiences of immigrant students in Maine, I learned about the efforts of so many teachers across Maine to build schools that are diverse, equitable and inclusive. I was inspired to get to work doing the same. 

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Over the past year, I have served as an intern teacher in diverse 5th and 6th grade classrooms in South Portland. Like most people, this has been one of the most challenging years of my life. But because of the opportunity to be in schools, it has also been one of the most exciting and rewarding. I feel confident that this is where I belong.