I grew up on a farm in Accokeek, Maryland 20 minutes south of our nation's capitol, Washington D.C. After high school I attended the University of Maryland Baltimore earning a BA in French and Linguistics. I attended the Université de Paul Valérie in Montpellier, France. I taught as a TA at the University of Maryland College Park while doing masters work in French Classical Literature. I began teaching at Canterbury School, a private school, and grades 7-12 in Maryland. I married and had two beautiful sons. I then began my studies in Spanish at a local community college. In 1998 I moved with my family to the area and began attending Western Carolina University earning a BS in Spanish and Education and also attending the Universidad de la Américas in Cholula, México.

I have been teaching French and Spanish in Hayesville since 2002. I love my job and working with students. Foreign language and cultural studies have always been of interest to me as well as travel. My goal is to encourage students to expand their knowledge of the global community we live in by becoming aware of the multiple perspectives of foreign cultures. Studying a foreign language allows us to reach out to and to communicate with a larger community and also to reflect and understand our own culture from an enhanced point of view. The United States is moving towards more involvement internationally and individuals having knowlegde of a foreign language and foreign cultures will be seen as an asset to their communities.

Studying a foreign language is a lot of fun and a lot of work. We work and have fun together in class using various activities to help students function in a variety of situations. There is a lot of interaction with classmates, friends, community and with foreign students. I encourage students to carry what they learn into the next phase of their lives.

Thank you for visiting this page and please refer to the “schoolwork” sight to check out what is being covered in class and to stay up to date.

Extracurricular Duties: Foreign Language Club Sponsor