TrueGritConcepts
#TrueGritEducator
I always knew I wanted to impact the future of our world and becoming a teacher was a part of that dream. I love serving and making a difference in the lives of others. One of my greatest accomplishments as a professional will always be serving as a teacher. As a child, I remember playing "teacher" and the joy it brought. Serving students, parents, and other educators in the field of educations has been my greatest accomplishment in my professional career, and I will always consider it an honor.
I have been in education since I began as a paraprofessional at the age of 17. I worked as a paraprofessional as I earned my undergraduate degree from Mercer University. After earning my teaching certificate, I began teaching at Cousins Middle School in 2000 where I taught for 13 years. I worked with children at every learning level and every socioeconomic level I could, and I held every leadership position I could hold. I learned as much as I could from as many people as I could while enjoying every second with my kiddos.
After receiving my B.S. in MS Education in 2000 I decided to continue my education and returned to the classroom as a learner in 2003. I received my M.Ed from Troy State University in 2004 in Educational Leadership and Administration, my Ed.S from Lincoln Memorial University in 2006 in Educational Administration and Supervision.
After 13 years in the classroom, I moved into Instructional Technology. EdTech leadership was not something I sought out, but rather something that found me. My EdTech experience was something that allowed me to influence the professional learning opportunities that teachers were afforded while engaging them with technology. This combination is truly exciting to me.
I worked in the K12 EdTech field for 4 years until I transitioned into a role as the EdTech Director in the small business arena. This position allowed me to reach a broader range of teachers and administrators and influence many more educators to understand the need for effective professional learning opportunities with embedded technology. During this time, I was able to work with developers, vendors, administrators, teachers, students, and learners of every age to help create solutions that allow learners to be empowered to take an active role in the learning process. This was exciting as I continued to build relationships in education while serving and empowering others.
In 2018, I decided to take some time to focus on the completion of my Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Management. During my studies I created a curriculum, CULTIVATING COLLABORATION: A CURRICULUM TO ENHANCE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR EDUCATORS THROUGH FEEDBACK, that provides R.E.A.L. professional learning opportunities to assist school districts in transforming the culture into a culture of collaboration that embraces the use of technology for self and peer reflections. Upon the completion of my capstone project and development of my curriculum, I began working with Georgia Cyber Academy as the Advanced Learning Placement (ALP) Coordinator. In January of 2019, I received my Ed.D. from Capella University in Educational Leadership and Management.
There are several things that have contributed to preparing me to become an educator and leader throughout my career. Most importantly have been the relationships that I have built during my career and the lessons I have learned from my students, other teachers, and the amazing leaders I have been blessed to be guided by. I have had the opportunity to work with students, teachers, school leaders, district leaders, and even national leaders all of which I have learned a great deal. I learned more about myself, my students, education, and culture in my years as a classroom teacher, a school administrator, a district administrator, an EdTech leader, and a Doctoral student than any scholar could in a lifetime behind a book, and every experience has prepared me in a different way to become an educational leader.
I am excited to share with you and I hope you will share as well!