1. What is your educational background and what positions have you held? Please include current school district and grade/s.
I graduated from SRU with my B.S. in El Ed in 2003 and my M.Ed. in 2012. I taught third grade at Lake Wylie Elementary in Charlotte N.C. until 2009. Upon returning to the area and getting married, I started graduate school. I was hired to teach at Butler County Community College (BC3) in the fall of 2012. I am now the Program Coordinator for the Early Childhood Education PreK-4 and the Child Development and Family Studies programs. I am also an instructor for our Pass Praxis Teacher Certification Program.
2. Name one SRU experience, in general or specific to the field, that you will never forget and explain why.
I will never forget receiving a letter from the College of Education stating that I was selected to be part of a brand-new partnership program between the Slippery Rock Area School District and SRU. The program paired ten veteran teachers with ten preservice teachers from SRU. The year-long program developed a unique and collaborative partnership between the district teachers and the preservice teachers. The preservice teachers would rotate through the established classrooms for field and student teaching. It truly helped the preservice teachers gain experience by being in the same school for an entire school year.
3. Name an SRU faculty that had a positive influence on you and explain why.
I fondly remember having Dr. Suzanne Rose as a professor during her first few years at SRU. I enjoyed the fresh approach she brought to teaching. Later, Dr. Rose became one of my student teaching supervisors. Dr. Rose always made me feel like I was a born teacher. Her confidence in me and my teaching style helped me overcome any apprehension I had when I was first in the classroom. I attribute a lot of my educational success to Dr. Rose. I fondly remember Dr. Terry Vetere as a professor when I took a Children’s Literature class at SRU. I enjoyed her teaching style and learned a lot when I had her for my undergraduate classes. I never would have imagined I would get to work in a different capacity with her when I became the Program Coordinator for the Early Childhood Education PreK-4 at BC3. In my role as Program Coordinator, I was asked to collaborate with our local PASSHE schools to establish articulation agreements for our education majors. Not only was Dr. Vetere more than happy to meet with me, but she even remembered me from time as a preservice teacher at SRU. It was her spark and enthusiasm that assisted me in solidifying a pathway for our education majors to easily transfer to SRU after graduation.
4. What initially piqued your interest in pursuing a degree in education?
I was raised by two educators. My parents met while attending SRU in the 1970’s. My mom received her degree in Early Childhood Education and spent several decades teaching in preschools and early intervention facilities. My dad received his degree in Secondary Education and taught middle school for almost thirty years. So, I would say that I was born to be an educator. I could not imagine doing anything else. It has always been in my blood.
5. What do you love most about teaching?
It is extremely difficult to identify just one reason I love teaching. One of my top reasons why I love teaching is when you get to see the “lightbulb” go off in a student’s head when something clicks. It does not matter if the student is nine years old or nineteen years old; that “lightbulb” reaction is the same and is extremely gratifying as a teacher.
6. What makes a great teacher?
Ironically, I asked my first-year students in Introduction to Education this very same question last month. The students always produce the same list. A great teacher meets the students at their level, has patience but also a sense of humor, assesses them in a variety of ways, cares about their students, and wants to make a difference. But to me, a great teacher answers the call.
