I commence each school year with a new teaching assignment. I teach at the edge of the southern pine forest in the smallest public school district in Florida. Within the one elementary school and one middle school in the district I have had the privilege of teaching seventh grade language arts, second grade, elementary art, and gifted, as well as serving as a science coach. I will transition into the new role of Title I math coach this year in my fifth year of teaching.

As an elementary science coach, I led educators from neighboring districts through intensive professional development and science reform as part of Let's Talk Science. Leading this Math-Science Partnership grant provided insight on how STEM and innovation grants can be catalysts for positive change. I gained additional perspective on federal programs as a member of my city's Citizens' Advisory Committee for Community Development and as a state reviewer for competitive gifted program grants. Within the realm of gifted education I revitalized and redesigned my school's gifted program, tripling the student population and securing multiple sources of outside funding within the span of just over a year.

I am particularly interested in closing the achievement gap on both a local and national level. I joined an AmeriCorps literacy program upon graduation from college. As a teacher, I continue to contribute to national organizations by volunteering as a writing coach for College Summit and working in numerous capacities with Teach For America.

The commonality among my involvement in the outside education programs and in the teaching of eight grade levels and six content areas is that my placements reflect where I hope to most impact student learning on an annual basis. Within these varied roles I bridge the divide among policy, theory, and reality on a daily basis. To this triangulation I bring the perspective of a classroom teacher, state assessment contributor, action research leader, scholar, mentor, website designer, curriculum developer, and grant writer.

Throughout my teaching career I have been particularly cognizant of how my own opportunities were enhanced by geographical circumstance. Three miles measure the physical distance between my students and my childhood home. Yet, those few miles transverse much more than a few farm acre plots bisected by a river; those three miles divide two school districts separated by an achievement gap. Raised on the south side of the river, I earned a master's degree in reading education from the University of Florida, attained membership in Phi Beta Kappa, and received an International Baccalaureate diploma. When I reflect upon my own academic endeavors, I think of my students, the challenges they face, and similar obstacles faced by students nationwide.