Sharing My Story

Growing up on my family's dairy farm in Wayside, Wisconsin, I learned what it meant to work hard and make a living off the land. My parents always welcomed people into our home including foreign exchange students and foster children, so I learned to cook and manage a household at a fairly young age. I also grew to appreciate diversity and culture! These skills have all served me well as an adult. I got my education at a parochial grade school, a public high school and a Big 10 University. I love the challenge of being an educator and staying current as things trend in and out of our field. I especially enjoy working with people as they discover who they are, what they stand for, what motivates them, and what they want and need.

I graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in English and Spanish. I began a Spanish Department in a small high school in central Wisconsin before heading to Texas in 1985. I taught Spanish and ESL classes at North Shore Middle School for a year before moving to FISD to teach Spanish and coach volleyball and softball at Friendswood High School. My education includes earning a Master of Science degree from the University of Houston Clear Lake in Education in 1989, followed by a Master of Science degree in Counseling in 1994. After 16 years of teaching and counseling at the secondary level, I decided to try elementary school where found my niche as the counselor and character coach at the preK-third grade site for Westwood and then grades 3-5 at Bales.

Sharing my joy and delight for educating tomorrow's leaders through speaking and writing is one of my sparks and this blog has been an amazing outlet for that passion. Prior to blogging, my work has been published in Teaching Tolerance magazine, Teaching preK-8 magazine, Change magazine, Daughters magazine, and the MO Counseling Interviewer. Since the year 2008, I've written monthly blog posts for the Josephson Institute of Ethic's Character Educator and for Really Good Stuff and The Teachers' Lounge. I've also guest posted at Books That Heal Kids, Cachey Mama's Classroom, Teach Forever, and I Can Teach My Child and I've written a guest post for Kleinspiration (thanks Erin!) and was recognized at Maria Dismondy's blog. I spent three years writing the Counselors Corner post for Free Spirit Press and most recently I've written periodically for the Prosign Design blog.

At the end of May, 2014, just before my 53rd birthday, my first book was released.
What a delight to add Author to my list of credentials.
After you read What's Under Your Cape? SUPERHEROES of the Character Kind,
please do send me an email and let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your reflections.

On Halloween 2014, I had the pleasure of giving the keynote address to kick off the 21st Annual Character Education Forum in Washington, D.C.  I made some incredible connections there, including this group of caring mentors from the Show Me State, who wanted our picture taken making a C over our hearts, the ASL sign for character!

In May of 2018, I decided to retire from my full-time work in the public schools and pursue my encore career in consulting, mentoring, coaching, speaking, and writing. I'm currently freelancing, so let me know if you want to book a growth session or author visit. We are super excited that Mr. Quigley's Keys came out on my 60th birthday.

In August of 2021, I went back to the classroom to teach high school Spanish to two amazing groups of 8th graders. After that two year stint as a teacher again, I decided to be a substitute teacher until May of 2024, when I turned in my bad and retired from the schoolhouse for good. What an incredible 40-year run I've had.

In June of that same year, my third book, Birdie & Mipps, hit the market. It's such a gift to have been able to wrap the story about how my little brother got his nickname into our niche picture book about the importance of names, our first gift.

I hope you'll find some nuggets of wisdom or seeds of inspiration while you're here with me. 

Welcome to the Corner!