How did you get into teaching? Teaching is a family business. My mother is a retired educator, my brother teaches civics in Pinellas County and both my grandmothers were nurse-educators.
How long have you been teaching? I have been teaching in some capacity for six years. Four of which have been in Orange County, and the other two in Tallahassee. I’ve always taught English, either middle or high school.
Where did you work before Boone? I taught at The Acceleration Academy, which is now called Acceleration East High School.
What is your favorite part of teaching? My favorite part of teaching is to be able to experience the “Ah-ha” moments with students. I love being able to connect what I teach to real life and having the students understand. That’s the best part of teaching.
What do you do in your free time? I am a soccer mom without the minivan. I am constantly running someone to practice. I enjoy spending time with my family from the Virgin Islands. When we come together, there is always lots of laughter and fun.
What is your motto? I always tell my students “Don’t let the things you can’t control, control you.” I also have the Serenity Prayer on my desk that I like to repeat to myself.
What college did you go to and what did you study? I attended Florida State University and I received a bachelor degree in English Literature, African American Studies with a minor in Education.
What is the funniest thing that has happened in your time of teaching? The funniest thing is when I try and make my lessons relevant and the students are confused when I understand [pop-culture] references. Once I used a 2 Chains song to teach figurative language.
What do you think of the digital learning system? I think there was a lot of assumptions about student’s level of technology awareness. Time needs to be invested to make sure students know how to use these programs before we introduce them. The success rate will be higher. The assumptions is that all these kids are digital natives across all digital platforms.
What made you accept the job to work at Boone? It has always been my dream to come back to one of the schools I attended and teach. Especially Boone because of the saying “Boone students today, brave leaders tomorrow.” I’ve always wanted students to become brave leaders. I moved here from the Virgin Islands and completely loved my high school experience here. I’m living my dream.