I am a teacher. It was not an easy, nor a straightforward path, however that led me to this realization. As a student at Brown University I majored in math, an inevitable choice as math seems to be in my blood. My mother, father, and brother all majored in math and even though I was lured by political science, I could not deny the inevitable. Upon graduation I still did not know where life would take me. I tried out different cities and different careers looking for the perfect fit, but something was always missing. Somewhere along my journey of self-discovery, I realized that no job fit because I was meant to be a teacher. I think that the best teachers know that teaching is what they should do. I may have come to the realization a little later than most, but I know now that being a teacher is one of the things that truly defines who I am.

I went back to school and earned my M.Ed. in secondary math education from Vanderbilt University. Teaching was everything I wanted it to be and yet I had never worked so hard in my life. I took on more than just my classroom and teaching duties, working beyond the walls of my classroom. I evaluated and developed curricula, even going so far as to design a new course with two other teachers. I became interested and involved in school evaluations, participating in both state and regional evaluation and accreditation visits. I worked on a state/regional assessment committee evaluating questions for the now high stakes test and I have worked to align curriculum to state and regional standards. I took on a new model of teaching, and found that I loved working with a co-teacher teaching some of the neediest students in our building.

As I worked with my students and learned more about schools and education, I become more and more interested about education outside the walls of my classroom. I became increasingly concerned about all that I and my colleagues wanted to do with and for our students, but were, in the end, unable to do. Frustrated, I decided I needed to know more about education policy before I could find any "solutions." As a result, I found myself pursuing a degree in public policy at the University of Michigan and then earning a Teaching Ambassador Fellowship. I returned to the classroom because my students and teaching are my greatest passion, but I am still interested in education beyond my classroom walls. I am currently a facilitator for a professional learning community focused on co-teaching. Additionally, after doing research at the University of Michigan on teacher preparation and the supply and demand of teachers, I am interested now more than ever in how to train and keep the best teachers in all of our schools.

Beyond being a teacher, I grew up on an island in Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island and I returned to live in my hometown 8 years ago. I enjoy being surrounded by my family and friends and all that comes with living by the shore.