I joined the McLean community in the 2014-2015 academic year. During my years at McLean, I have been fortunate to serve as the Grade 8 Team Leader, and a faculty representative on the Admission Committee, and am currently the Grade 8 Dean. The supportive administration at McLean has provided opportunities for me to expand my practice by piloting an Ungraded Pre-Algebra class, where students are able to truly focus on the learning process. I was chosen to present about the ungraded class at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Annual Conference as well as at McLean School’s Cecily’s Advocacy Conference. I co-presented at an NCTM virtual conference with my colleague Jennifer Massey post-pandemic to share about our adaptive interactive notebooks.
All students are able to be successful in learning math, and I am always inspired by growth- mindset-focused lessons and projects I can incorporate into my lessons. I especially look forward to engaging my pre-algebra students in a Mathography project. They think about the teachers, ideas, and classes that have contributed to who they currently are as a meth learner. I learn a lot about my students, and they usually discover areas of success they may not have previously identified as such. I have taught 3-year-olds, as well as English, science, and math to students in grades 5-12. Prior to McLean, I was the Middle School Coordinator at a Christian school in Potomac, Maryland. Middle School math is my passion, which is why I love my position teaching pre-algebra and algebra! I spent my childhood moving often as an Army brat and attended 12 different schools (in 2 countries!) before graduating from high school in Norfolk, Virginia. I studied math and physics at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College (now Randolph College), where I learned firsthand the incomparable benefits of small class sizes and individualized instruction. Despite my dream of never having to pack a moving box again, I continued to move after finishing college, finally settling in Maryland in 2010.
I relish time spent with my family, including my husband, our three young adult “children,” and grandson, as well as my Potomac-based mom.