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I will begin tutoring after school beginning Wednesday, November 28th. Please pick up your student promptly at 2:20.

Welcome to my Wiki! I am glad that I will have the opportunity to get to know you through my language arts and social studies pages. You will be able to leave me comments and ask questions through this site. Please follow the Wiki rules so that you will be able to enjoy participating all year long.

Rules

Be respectful to all users. Every person is entitled to their own opinion. Read with understanding and politely respond to others. We all deserve to be heard. Let all classmates participate.
Do not use vulgar language, profanity, or any gang references.
Use capitalization and punctuation when you are responding to an academic assignment on my language arts and social studies pages.
Comments must be relavant, which means they must make sense and relate to what we are doing or talking about in school.

About Me

Where should I start? Well, I will start with what you may want to know first. I love teaching language arts and social studies. I think that the curriculum of the 7th grade is the most interesting of all middle school grades. You wait and see. As a matter of fact, at the end of the year, we will go back and debate this point using the Wiki.

Yes, all that you have heard about me is true. I do challenge you to do your best and assign projects to demonstrate your knowledge. My philosophy regarding education is called constructivist. I believe that I give you the tools to learn, the knowledge you need based on the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, and questions to make you think. I then want you to apply what you have learned and construct your knowledge. Get it? Construct/constructivist.

A little personal information about me. Yes, I am married, but I rarely wear a wedding ring. I will explain. About three years ago, I was working in the library and I caught my hand between two tables and broke my engagement ring. Later, I lost a saphire out of my wedding band. So, I stopped wearing them. I was not happy about it, and neither was my husband.

The next Christmas my husband bought me another ring to replace them and guest what? Before the end of Christmas break, I caught the setting on our bathroom door frame and popped the stone out of the ring! Do you believe that? My husband just shook his head and walked away. I had my ring repaired and I only wear it for special occasions because I am just too rough and crazy to wear it everyday. Needless to say, I have a wonderful and understanding husband named Tim.

We have a seventeen year old daughter named Malone who attends St. Stephens High School. She is terrific, beautiful and the absolute joy of my life. She is a senior this year and I am excited about the opportunities that await her. Malone would like to be an adolescent/child counselor.

I also have three dogs; a teacup poodle, a Yorkie, and a German Shepherd. Loulou, Thai, and Maxx are a huge part of our family. I also have four nephews and one neice. They are a tremendously important part of our lives and we spend quite a bit of time with them and their parents. Kids are important to us.

I also love school! I attended Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia and Appalachian State University. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Middle School Education specializing in language arts and social studies and a Master's degree in the same field. I believe learning is always exciting and you should keep an open mind to new and interesting concepts. I hope you will enjoy learning too.

How to Get Good Grades

Here are ten steps to help you be successful.

1 - Believe in yourself. See the cup as half full not half empty! Set a goal for each class and try your best to reach it.

2 - Be organized. Use your planner and write all assignments and important dates in it everyday. Break down assignments so that they are more manageable. Use your three ring binder! Put your notes in it and important papers right before class is over. Do not shove them in the binder or put them in a pocket, and do not just throw them in your locker. Get phone nombers of a study buddy from each class. Keep your locker and and backpack clean. Organize yourself before you go to bed.

3 - Manage your time. Use class time effectively. Create a schedule that details when you will study, accomplish school tasks, and post it where you can see it daily. Watch out for distractions. Now is the time to learn how to be disciplined.

4 - Be successful in class. Be on time, adapt to different teachers and their rules, and have all of your materials that you need for class. Always do your homework, do your part in group work, participate in class, and treat others with respect. Take responsibility for your grades.

5 - Take good notes. Listen, take notes, and recognize important information, and review them. If your absent, make up your work and get notes that you may have missed.

6 - Know how to read a textbook. If you have issues with a section, ask your teacher for help.

7 - Study smart! Find a good place to study and organize your time. Know how to study for a test. Use tricks to memorize information.

8 - Be a good test taker. Develop a plan, mark and return to items you do not understand, look for key words, and check your answers.

9 - Reduce test anxiety.

10 - Get help when you need it. Do not be afraid or embarassed to ask. If you are worried about what others think, ask the teacher privately, but I bet that another student will have the same question as you.

Tips for Parents

1 - Show interest.

2 - Discuss your student's classes and set goals.

3 - Listen.

4 - Be available to help.

5 - Encourage involvement in clubs, sports, and activities.

6 - Work with your school.

7 - If your student is not doing well in school, find out why,

8 - Make sure your child is in school and on time every day. Unless a student is truely ill, he or she needs to be there.

9 - Hold your student accountable. Monitor his or her grades, look in the planner to make sure homework and important dates are listed. All teachers have homework listed on his or her board. If your child's planner has nothing in it, or they do not have it with them, ask why. Trust me. There should be items written down.

10 - Watch for changes in your child's behavior. This is a time when students are faced with many temptations. Be aware and ask questions.

COMMUNICATE COMMUNICATE COMUNICATE!