I grew up in Iowa City and am proud to be a graduate of the University of Iowa.  I have had the privilege of living in Tennessee, Connecticut, and Wisconsin, and finally Illinois.  When I moved to the Peoria area in 2002, I decided to go back to college to become a teacher.  I studied very hard to earn a Master of Arts in Curriculum & Instruction from Bradley University and have been rewarded in a career where I get to inspire young people to embrace a love of learning.  I began teaching Literature, English, and Social Studies at Holy Family in 2007.  In addition to teaching, I also enjoy reading, cardio-walking, quilting, and checking out new restaurants.  On many evenings and weekends, you may find me watching my two sons perform and compete in music and athletic events.

After graduating from the University of Saint Francis in Joliet (my "second home"), I went on to teach honors English classes to freshmen, juniors, and seniors at Benet Academy in Lisle, Illinois.  I soon moved back "home" to the Peoria area and began teaching fourth grade classes at Holy Family while working on my Master of Arts degree in Teaching and Leadership.  After serving for six years as Director of Religious Education at Holy Family, I  returned to the classroom in 2011 and am currently teaching junior high religion classes and eighth grade literature and English classes.  I enjoy being able to take advantage of every possible opportunity to integrate technology into the curriculum so as to best engage my students in their learning and especially enjoy being able to integrate my Catholic faith into all aspects of classroom teaching.  Outside of the classroom, I enjoy attending conferences and retreats at the local, state, and national levels and am always seeking opportunities for new classes to take, most recently in the area of web design and development.  Most of all, I appreciate having opportunities to spend "carefree timelessness" with my husband.

I am a 1973 graduate of Western Illinois University with a degree in History and minor in Political Science with an emphasis on education.  Since Western I have done additional studying at Illinois State University, Northern Illinois University, Bradley University, California State University, East Bay and at University of California at Berkeley.  I also added a second minor in the area of Mathematics education while employed in California.   I have taught school since August of 1974, splitting my experiences between Illinois and California.  I have been employed at Holy Family Parish School since August, 2000.  My wife is a nurse at OSF St. Francis Medical Center and I have 3 grown children and one grandson. My current interests deal with spoiling my grandson and taking sea cruise vacations during the summer months.  I also enjoy visits of HFS graduates and their keeping updated on their current academic pursuits.

Teaching has been a meaningful part of my life for many years.  Most of my teaching experience has been in the area of junior high science, but I have also enjoyed teaching many subject areas in the third and fifth grades.  I obtained my Bachelor of Science degree from Bradley University and post-graduate hours from Bradley and Illinois State University.  I like being involved with students during activities outside of the classroom.  Being Student Council advisor allows me to see enthusiasm of the members through the service projects in which they are involved.  Teaching at Holy Family Parish School, after teaching many years in the public system, has been very rewarding for me.  I love travelling and collecting antiques and spending time with my four grandchildren.