I have loved science for as long as I can remember, though in my younger days I thought that meant being a doctor. As such, my undergraduate degree is from Seton Hall University in Biology/pre-med. By the end of my freshman year I realized I would rather teach science - perhaps because of all the wonderful teacher role models who taught me so much more than what I would need to be successful on a test. Right out of college I was hired to teach 7th and 8th grade science at a Catholic school in South Philadelphia and while I loved it, the $12,500 salary was not enough to support my independence so my after school job as an MRI tech became my full time career for much of the next 15 years. I never lost the calling to return to the classroom, and I am so glad I found my way back in 2003.
This is my eighth year at South River Middle School teaching both earth and physical science. While I still appreciate the diversity of life in all its forms and the wonder of the human body, my passion for all things space brought me to Nashville to view the total solar eclipse on 8/21/17. I'm already planning to take my grandson to western PA to see the next one to hit the continental US on April 8, 2024. Your 6th grader will be a sophomore in high school! This fascination led me to Houston this summer where my husband and I counted down (think New Year's Eve, Time Square) to the 50th anniversary of the exact moment Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon. Seeing Gene Kranz in Mission Control was definitely a highlight of this day.
Beyond the classroom, I enjoy attending classic rock concerts and Broadway shows as well as spending time with my family and friends.
Favorite quotes (both attributed to Albert Einstein)
- "It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge."
- "Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live Its whole life believing that it is stupid."