elementary (k-6th)
I hold a current teaching certificate for K-8th grade as well as a Bachelor's in elementary education. I have taught elementary for 12 years from 2nd grade to 6th grade. For four years, I was an elementary school principal.
phonics
As a teacher for twelve years, I believe phonics is fundamental to decoding words for reading. I have experience in teaching phonics in 2nd and 3rd grade during the school year. I have also taught K-2nd grade phonics during summer school. Most of my phonics experience has been with the ABEKA phonics curriculum, a widely successful curriculum since the 1950s.
study skills
After twelve years of teaching, I have found that study skills are critical to the success of any student, and most of them don't learn these skills naturally. Teaching students how to identify how they learn best and what skills will help them retain the most important information is something I do very well. For three years on 91FM here in Oklahoma City, I hosted a weekly radio show which emphasized information for parents on education and family. During that time, we focused a great deal on Cynthia Tobias' work about learning styles and modalities. I believe that during that time we helped many parents become tutors for their own children by helping them understand how to help their children learn.
Bible studies
Nine of my twelve years teaching have been in private Christian schools where I taught Bible. Additionally, I taught in our church's children's classes. I have 18 additional hours in Bible study from ACSI accredited institutions.