Recently retired from education, I successfully taught students for 25 years in elementary and middle school classrooms and also was involved in school leadership in Fargo and Hillsboro, ND. I am a certified Gifted and Talented teacher and excelled in teaching and challenging high-ability learners. I have taught grades 4-7, served as an assistant principal in a K-5 school of 400+ students, and was named North Dakota Middle School Teacher of the Year. I also coached several Track & Field...
Recently retired from education, I successfully taught students for 25 years in elementary and middle school classrooms and also was involved in school leadership in Fargo and Hillsboro, ND. I am a certified Gifted and Talented teacher and excelled in teaching and challenging high-ability learners. I have taught grades 4-7, served as an assistant principal in a K-5 school of 400+ students, and was named North Dakota Middle School Teacher of the Year. I also coached several Track & Field athletes to State Championship levels. I hold a Masters degree in Educational Administration and a Masters in Technology in Teaching along with my Bachelors in Elementary Education.
For gifted and advanced students, I focus on enrichment and acceleration: Moving ahead in math but staying centered on grade-level standards, deeper reading and writing, critical thinking, and problem-solving projects that keep curious kids engaged instead of bored. I also support twice-exceptional students and gifted kids who are capable but disorganized, perfectionists, or unmotivated by regular classwork.
For students who need additional or catch-up support, I start with a skills check to find exactly where the gaps are, then build a simple, targeted plan and review progress regularly, the same data-driven approach I used to design school-wide reading and math interventions.
Either way, I keep sessions encouraging and paced to the child. I coached Track and Field teams to five consecutive state championships, and I bring that coaching mindset to tutoring: clear goals, steady practice, and celebrating progress. I am happy to share short progress notes with parents and suggest ways to support learning at home. I am a competitive soul and still a competitor in my personal life taking part in Cycling and Running events/races regularly.
