I teach students enrolled in regular 6th grade Language Arts and some years, the 6th grade Reading Block class, for students who need more support with their reading and writing.

I also teach 8th grade Language Arts some years.

I really enjoy teaching 6th graders. It is an important transitional year, and the beginning of their journey into adulthood. My 8th graders always make me smile, as they get ready for high school, their last 8 semesters of public education.

The most important things are curiousity, respect for others, and a willingness to learn. The boys and girls will all recognize these things as abstract nouns.

The concrete things are:
Paper (wide ruled NOT college ruled)
Pen (blue or black ink)
Red checking pen or pencil
Highlighter
Colored Pencils
Composition Book for Journal.

Mustang Mate--every day, in every class, all year!

Novel: Medicine Walk
Grammar: Nouns and Verbs
Literature: Short stories from the literature book.

Novel: The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Grammar: Sentence Structure
Literature: Selections from the literature book.
Reading Strategies: Reading mysteries in fiction; comprehension strategies for non-fiction.

I have two goals for my 8th graders: be ready for high school, and be successful on the TAKS/STAAR test, so they can go to high school. For the 2007-2008 school year, 100% of my eighth graders passed the TAKS test the first time it was administered, and over 65% passed "Commended." I expect the same passing rate every year.

I attended Northampton Elementary, Hildebrandt Intermediate, and Klein High
School in this district. I graduated with honors from Southern Methodist University with a BFA in Theatre, and earned a Masters in Education and Reading Specialist certification, also with honors, from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio.

I train and show dogs for fun, and am licensed to judge agility trials. I also like to work in my gardens, read, and do artwork and crafts.

I own a home nearby, and share it with my pets, a Golden Retriever named Bailey; a Border Collie, Devin; another Border Collie, Ice; a Corgi, Dusty (because he is--think about it); tropical fish (cat TV) and the cats. There's usually a rescue dog or cat underfoot, too.

I always know of adoptable animals if you are interested in acquiring a new pet.

Devin is doing agility. It is the fastest-growing sport for dogs in America. In Agility, dogs jump, scurry through tunnels, climb an A-Frame, test their balance on the Dog Walk and See-Saw, and weave through poles.

Here's Devin the Border Collie completing a jump at a dog show in Ft. Worth at the Will Rogers Sports Complex. Devin is one of my three dogs in training for agility. Bailey also does Flyball, and Dusty is in training for flyball, but is too young to compete.