Teaching has always been in my blood, but I took a detour for several years to pursue a second love, horticulture. I graduated from University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana with a bachelor's degree in Ornamental Horticulture. My husband I worked in the nursery business in central Illinois for about 12 years until the birth of our third child when I made the decision to stay home with our children and do some in home daycare. When our fourth and youngest child went to kindergarten, I returned to the workforce as a parapro in the Chatham school district. There I found that I loved working in the schools, and I pursued getting certified to teach special education through Eastern Illinois University. I started teaching at Virden Elementary in 2007. I have been with the district since that time as a resource teacher in grades K-4. When I am not in the classroom, I enjoy traveling to visit our 4 children who are all married, cuddling our new grandson, gardening, camping, and caring for our 2 dogs, 1 cat and backyard chicken flock.
I am looking forward to a great year at North Mac Intermediate!
