Middle School Writer

I've taught 7th grade writing and social studies at a charter school in North Nashville. Now, I teach in a high-performing district south of Nashville, where I teach a 7th grade blended reading and writing class.

I believe in a balanced literacy model using catch and release methods to scaffold learning for all students. Writing and reading go hand in hand in my book, so I am to integrate both modalities of communication into all classes. I think creative and personal expression is the most effective way to engage students in reading/ writing, so journaling and authentic mentor texts weave their way into my classroom. My management style in a blend of Teach Like a Champion taxonomy and Love and Logic. While I believe in a traditional lesson structure for skill-based learning, I love to experiment with stations, writing-response heavy classes, and Socratic seminars as I weave more Common-Core aligned standards into my classroom.

I was a Truman Scholar Finalist for the state of Idaho using a policy brief advocating for Arts Education. I was an Ingram Scholar at Vanderbilt University, a full-tuition scholarship for service learning. I've researched the efficacy of creative writing programs on community development and presented this research at the International Reading Association (IRA) national conference in 2013. I also presented this research at Harvard at the HCURA Conference. I am a Coca Cola Scholar, an Imagining America Joy of Giving Something Scholarship Recipient, and upon my graduation from college, I received the Willis D. Hawley award for public service in Peabody College.

I went to a private, International Baccalaureate school in Boise, Idaho. I did my undergraduate work in Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. I have a Masters in Instructional Practice from Lipscomb University.

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