Teaching students to read, write, and comprehend text is a complex endeavor. Researching the most effective ways of teaching literacy, and preparing pre-service and in-service teachers to apply these methods, are my passions.
I earned a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education (Language Arts and Social Studies) at Michigan State University and a Master's Degree (M.A.T. in Reading and Language Arts) from Oakland University, also in Michigan. While in Michigan I taught in elementary classrooms for nine years. I taught fifth grade for two years, spent a year teaching both kindergarten and eighth grade, and then taught kindergarten for six years.
I am a trained Reading Recovery ® teacher, and spent three years teaching the intervention program as well. I ended my career in Michigan as the Early Literacy Coordinator for Genesee County.
I completed my PhD in Reading Education at the University of Pittsburgh in 2006. As Assistant Professor of Teacher Education/Literacy I teach literacy methods courses in both the elementary and secondary education programs. I also have the opportunity to conduct research to explore the best ways to prepare our future teachers.
I continue to work in local school districts to provide in-service to teachers. This allows me to work with students in classrooms on a regular basis, as I model literacy instruction for the teachers. This provides me with valuable experiences that I weave into discussions with the students in my literacy courses at UPJ.