About Me

I have always loved to read. When I was young, I read every chance I could get. Ramona the Pest, The Borrowers, and Pippi Longstocking were some of my favorites.  These books and characters became like friends encouraging me to be brave and curious about the world. As I got older schoolwork began to take over and I had had less time for reading purely for pleasure. Still, put me on a beach with a book in my hands, music in my ears, and the peaceful rumble of the waves and I could lose myself for hours. 

As I grew older, I realized I had more similar tastes in books to my father, which was surprising.  My mother is a voracious reader and a lifelong teacher, but for years, I wrestled with following in her footsteps. In my twenties, I bounced from job to job, restless and uncertain, trying to answer the age-old question: What do I want to be when I grow up? Eventually, I began working at a school and within a year I was a 1st grade teacher, just like Mom. If only I hadn’t been so reluctant to be “just like my mother”, I could have saved myself a lot of time.

I received a Masters in Education from Bank Street College in New York. I was never happier than when I was in the classroom. I discovered my calling and made lifelong friends (yes, I’m talking to you, Frankie D!). Teaching children to read is, in my opinion, the most difficult, most miraculous thing one can do. The amount of growth young children experience in the early elementary years is astonishing. To witness it, to celebrate with them, and to see the joy on their faces is a privilege I never took for granted. 

Learning to read is hard. Helping children fall in love with reading – and then keeping that love alive -  is even harder. But, that’s not a reason not to do it!