About Me

I have always loved to read. 

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!