TEACHER ~ SPEAKER ~ WRITER ~ OLYMPIAN
"I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit."
John Steinbeck
ABOUT ME
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I am currently in my 30th year as a Special Education teacher and my 8th year at Voyager Academy High School. I have worked with children and teens in grades K-12 in various capacities and in a variety of school settings including both charter and traditional public schools.
I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Florida and a Master’s Degree in Education from North Carolina State University. I am also a National Board Certified Teacher in Exceptional Needs. I am very passionate about helping students excel in reading, writing, and math and using those skills to improve in all academic areas. Outside of work I enjoy running (I ran the 10K for the US in the 1996 Olympic Games), Taekwondo (I’m a 4th degree Black Belt and an instructor), writing (click here for the direct link to my two novels, Pain and Burden), playing guitar and keeping up with my two sons. I also give public speeches about my journey to the Olympics 30 years ago. I often bring these experiences into the classroom to help kids connect with concepts that can be difficult to learn. I served as the prom coordinator for three years at Voyager Academy. I also served as the head coach of the Track and Cross Country teams at Voyager from 2021-2024. During that time our teams won three regional championships in cross country and two in track. We also finished in the top-five at the state championships four times. In addition, I have served on the MTSS team, trained teachers in CPI safety interventions, and given self-defense seminars to students. |
I've taught the Occupational Course of Study, mentored students from Western Carolina and UNC-Chapel Hill and I currently coordinate and administer the Summer Credit Recovery Program at Voyager.
If you have any questions you can contact me through either of the email addresses listed below. I respond to all emails within one business day. A link to Voyager's staff directory and calendar are listed below for your convenience. |
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