I am a veteran education specialist with expertise on topics of education and parenting. Holding teaching credentials in both special education and general education, as well as an early childhood education director’s permit, I have a wide range of experience. One of my greatest accomplishments is being the proud mother of a gifted son who is currently pursuing graduate work at Columbia University, New York. I am a musician and composer, a freelance author focused on topics of education, and a poet.
My father and mother fostered my personal education, recognizing me for having intelligence, creative thinking and a highly inquisitive nature. With their encouragement, I pursued an eclectic education providing me the opportunity to learn in a wide range of environments and learning styles. As a youth, I attended inner city public schools, signature charter schools, university correspondence courses while traveling, pursued my artistic talents and completed high school at a premier private Waldorf school.
The first degree I earned after high school was as a distinguished graduate of jazz studies from Sonoma State University.
My unique upbringing highlighted other gifts, specifically the capacity to recognize the needs of atypical learners and provide coaching for success in school and life. I pursued a teaching credential concurrent with my music studies, and completed my first credential in general education at California State University Northridge. While I worked as a general education teacher in southern California elementary schools, I continued university coursework to complete an education specialist credential with an emphasis on twice exceptional learners (gifted children with learning and behavioral challenges).
26 years as an educator in a variety of settings and roles provided me amazing encounters with a wide range of learners and professionals. I was a public school classroom teacher for 15 years, teaching in general education and special education settings. I taught classes for gifted children and typical populations, children with learning challenges, children with emotional and behavioral disorders, and children with autism and Asperger’s spectrum disorders. I’ve collaborated with and learned from incredible educators in my efforts to emulate best practice and provide inclusive education for students with challenges.
A prominent teacher educator and expert at many of my school assignments, I’ve provided professional development on behavior management, co-teaching and differentiated instruction for all learners. It’s been a privilege to teach in university child care centers, homeschool my own child for several years and collaborate with homeschooling collectives.
For over 9 years, I have provided individual tutoring and advocacy to students of all ages. A highlight of my early career was contributing to the creation of the CSUN Athletics Tutoring program for young college athletes. Upon leaving the public school setting to devote myself more to writing, I returned to school and studied early childhood education. I also operated an after school program focused on supporting learners with the AIM technique and promoting exploration of arts and sciences.
An insatiable curiosity has been my one true companion through education and career. Not only am I an avid believer in lifelong learning who continues to seek new skills, talent development and knowledge, but I am driven by certain fundamental questions. How do we learn? How is our self-knowledge applied to success in life? What are the best ways to promote educational success?
