Growing up in south austin
I was born in 1979 at St. David's Hospital. At that time, my family was living in Western Oaks, less than 3 miles from what would eventually become Small Middle School. My parents, my 2 older brothers, and I moved to Shady Hollow when I was 7. 30 years later, that is where my parents still live. Even though we lived about as far south in Austin as possible, my parents worked downtown and had me enrolled at Pease Elementary where I attended 1st - 6th grades. Instead of attending Porter (now the Ann Richards School) and Bowie, I transferred to Martin Junior High and Austin High School. In high school and through college, I worked at a record store in what used to be Westgate Mall. We sold actual records. It was a blast. Throughout my childhood, I made memories and friends from all over Austin, but South Austin is definitely my home.
Education
I attended the St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas for 3 semesters, where I had the opportunity to spend one semester studying in Mexico. (I didn't grow up speaking Spanish, but after 6 years of middle school and high school Spanish classes, this semester abroad gave me the chance to become a fluent Spanish speaker). I returned to Austin during my fourth semester of college and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Applied Learning and Development with a specialization in Bilingual Education. I am certified to teach first through 8th grades in English, Spanish, and in ESL and AP settings.
teaching
Throughout college, I worked consistently with children and families in Austin ISD. I did everything from summer camps to tutoring, to working with Project HELP, a department in Austin ISD that serves children and families experiencing homelessness. After student teaching at Wooten Elementary, I finally began my own teaching career at Becker Elementary in January of 2002. I stayed at Becker for 4 more school years and then returned to Wooten for 2 years. Although the Wooten community captured my heart, this South Austin girl needed to get back. I spent 2 great years at Galindo Elementary School before I decided that I wanted to work with older students. In 2011, I left Austin ISD to work at the Southwest Key charter school, East Austin College Prep Academy, where I taught 7th grade English Language Arts. The birth of my son finally pulled me back home, and in 2012 I joined the 6th grade team at Small Middle School. I am finally back where I started. Teaching 6th grade at Small is truly the happiest teaching assignment I have ever had. My 9 years of elementary experience has made me uniquely qualified to understand the challenges and needs of my 6th graders, both academically, emotionally, and socially. Running the 6th grade Morning Club has allowed me to connect with students that need this understanding the most. In addition to Small's incredible students, each of my 6th grade teammates has a love and commitment to children and to each other that have let me know that I have truly found my home at Small.