TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Life-Long Educator
I bring 20+ years of classroom experience to my practice. This includes..
- Middle school and high school experience
- Public and private school experience
- Experience teaching advanced, college-level courses at a public magnet school for gifted and talented students
- Experience serving as both athletic and academic coach
- Experience serving as a dorm parent
Civics and Economics for the 21st Century
At a time of unprecedented politicization, I am proud to introduce middle school students to the American government and economy in 7th Grade Civics and Economics. In this course I strive to integrate technology, current events, and civil discourse to create a class that prepares students for the end-of-year Standards of Learning by constantly keeping students engaged. Check out the above trailer for a taste of 7th grade Civics.
While at William Monroe Middle School, I have had the privilege of serving as a 7th Grade Civics and Economics teacher as well as Cross Country coach. Finally, during my time at WMMS, I was able to serve as a Lead Innovator, focusing on the Communication and Collaboration Pillar.
Coach Loret
For two seasons I served as assistant cross-country coach at William Monroe Middle School. During my two seasons coaching, I developed and implemented a fitness regimen tailored to meet the needs of emergent runners I took great pride in working with the novices, as I saw them make incredible progress. In addition, through my work with the CC Team, I learned how to better incorporate a "coaching approach" to my work in the classroom and with my peers.
During my time at St. Anne's-Belfield, I served as an upper-school history teacher. There, I taught AP European History while also developing an original course tailored toward the 8th/9th grade transition called "Ancient World Cultures." In addition, I had the privilege of serving as a dorm parent my first year and in 2011, I won the Elizabeth Norfleet Award for Excellence in Teaching.
I had the great fortune to land my first teaching position at the Math/Science High School in Chesterfield County Va. There I taught AP European History and 9th grade World History and Geography.
Trauma Sensitive Educator
I have a great deal of experience working with trauma-exposed students. In 2019 I elected to enroll in The Trauma Sensitive Classroom taught by Tish Jennings at the UVA Curry School of Education. Through my course work and implementation of key components in my classroom, I developed a more compassionate, mindful approach to my work with students, ranging from instruction that focuses on social/emotional learning to a discipline model based on relationship building, structure, and predictability.
LEARNING BY DOING
My Philosophy of Social Studies Instruction
During my time at the Curry School, I became an ardent proponent of constructivist theory. Simply stated, children construct their learning. This fact also empowers students to think critically about their world and practice informed citizenship. I also believe very strongly in Willingham's notions about why students dislike school and why so many of them struggle to succeed. To give meaning to abstract concepts, to imprint notions on students through action and movement, and to create learning that is engaging for reluctant learners, I believe that it's important for my students to "learn by doing." This does not mean sitting at a desk passively while I regale them with powerpoints. Instead, this means having students build marshmallow towers, compete in scavenger hunts, create word clouds, role-play, write and present bills, create talking presidents, collaborate on major public works projects, research and animate talking presidents, complete triangle puzzles, analyze economic data, and engage with their local community. It is by doing that content becomes memorable. And it's fun. Take a look.