I have worked in the Child Development field with a variety of age groups since 1985. In my professional career I have had many opportunities to do different positions giving me a diverse perspective on how all aspects of child development/care is delivered. For the past 21 years I have taught as an adjunct professor at various community colleges. Most recently I left a position as Director of a child development lab at another college after 13 years to devote my time to teaching and my family. I am now adjunct teaching at five local community colleges.

My family consists of a husband, six children (14-23 years old - 2 by birth, 2 step-children and 2 adopted children) and 9 pets (6 cats and 3 dogs). Last summer we volunteered as a foster home for bottle fed kittens for the Humane Society. We ended up adopting 4 of the baby kittens we raised. It is a busy home but one full of love, laughter and a touch of chaos.

I believe children learn through their interactions with everything and everyone around them. The role of adults is to create meaningful opportunities and provocations that encourage children to explore and discover both inside and outdoors. These should encompass all of the realms of children's development: social, emotional, cognitive, physical and language. I believe our relationships with children are the first learning they have in how to relate to others so being respectful, scaffolding children's interests in ways that encourage them to feel capable and maintains their curiosity are foundations of good teaching. Because families are the child's first teachers, partnering with them to better bring their family's values and cultures into the classroom provides a rich base for understanding their place in a richly diverse world and supports their identity within their family and community.