My journey to become a public school educator differs from most. I knew not long after starting my career in edtech back in 2002 at a large educational publisher that I wanted more. I wanted to help students and educators, but felt so far removed working for a corporation.

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So, I began my master’s degree in elementary and special education in my early 20’s, and didn’t land a job as a teacher until my late 30’s. It was a long, hard road, and I panicked after I accepted the job as a teacher. I thought, “What have I done?” Luckily, I have a very supportive husband who assured me we’d be just fine. He has always encouraged me to pursue a career that makes me happy.

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I loved being a technology teacher. I loved having the freedom to be creative and take risks. I loved my students. So why did I move to a new role as a tech integration specialist? I realized that teaching with tech shouldn’t happen in a vacuum. I realized just how much technology can motivate, inspire, engage, and empower students. I realized technology can open more doors than a printed textbook can. I wanted to share my knowledge with other teachers, and I wanted to learn from them as well.

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Thank you to all of my teacher friends who have graciously opened your classroom doors to allow me to learn and collaborate.

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Some of my favorite things: my husband and three sons, helping others, two dogs (and two cats), the beach, coffee, reading, all things edtech, and exercising.