I am a fierce advocate for teachers because they are some of the most misunderstood people on the planet. I know, because I spent 20 years teaching at a high school in Flint, Michigan.  I know firsthand how hard teachers work and how deeply they care.
    After I left the classroom to pursue a career in writing, I spent seven years writing a syndicated weekly newspaper column about education -- from a teacher’s point of view. The column ran on the Sunday op-ed page of The Flint Journal, and the Tuesday feature page of the Jackson Citizen Patriot.  I guess the editors couldn’t decide exactly where I fit, and that’s understandable;  the column was a well-researched mix of hard-hitting commentary on education policy, and lively anecdotes about life in the classroom.​

 

 

 

odds and ends​​​​​​​​​​​
Hometown: Fenton, MI
School: Michigan State University

​Education: BA ​​​​English-Education/Journalism (+36 post-graduate credits)

In my spare time: Reading, Hiking, Kayaking, Zumba, Photography​

​

MY TEACHING CAREER
    I subbed and taught adult ed. for two years. Over the next 16 years I taught:
7th Grade English, 8th Grade English, Computers & Careers, Reading Lab, Writing Lab, English I, English II, Senior English, Beginning Journalism and Advanced Journalism.
     I also advised the junior high yearbook and the high school newspaper, which
I LOVED.
    At the college level I taught Composition I and Public Speaking.

​​

I AM
Contemplative
Open-minded
Tidy
Never bored



I LOVE
Silence
Laughter
Fish-out-of-water stories (because I am one)
Eavesdropping and people-watching (shamelessly)



QUOTES
“Going to the woods is going home." -- John Muir

​

 and

​

"Don't shoot the messenger!"