My Education

This page is about my education (in case you didn't get that from the My Education header...;) The only real purpose this page serves is to allow you to view my qualifications, not to flaunt or brag. I'd like you to know what you're getting in your classroom before you find out from the kids the next day!

I began my long educational journey in Bakersfield Ca. I completed some general study classes in order to later transfer to California State University Fresno...yup...no fancy names here! I went to the schools I could afford! After changing my major about as many times as a baby gets their diaper changed in the first year, I landed on....Art! Yes, Art. I have a BA in Art. Once I graduated, I realized...I *might* need a degree that I could use to find a....wait for it...JOB! Yes, there are many great jobs in Art, but they are few and far between. I needed to be realistic! I landed on Business after a move of over 900 miles to the Pacific Northwest. I was set, made up my mind, aimed high and went for the Master's in Business Administration! Hey, it was business, and business always exists right? 2007 was a great year for that mind-set, but fast forward to today's changing business world and one realizes, broad, general degrees aren't always in demand...especially in a down economy. As I pondered what I might do next, because, as most know, I love school...I focused on what I could do as a job, that was fulfilling and didn't feel like a job?! I flashed back to the year 2005, months after I had my first child, when I decided to substitute teach in California. I thought what a great way to use my BA in Art that I thought wasn't usable. Let me back up for you Oregon readers, in CA you only need a BA or BS to sub. Anyway, I fell in love with teaching. The kids, their energy, the curiosity they hold, the sparkle in their eyes when that epiphany is reached in reading, writing, math, or science. Every day I taught was amazing, I truly felt I was where I belonged. This flashback lead me to sign up with Western Governors University. WGU is an online school where you don't earn grades, you earn competencies. Each course I worked, I completed assignments until my professors knew I was competent. I didn't simply get a grade and understood the material on one level or another. I was fully competent in that area. In the past two months, I finally became licensed to teach in both Utah and Oregon. It feels good. It's an accomplishment I will always cherish. Now, I can't wait to use that license to help our Oregon children become the best they can, achieve their dreams, and realize that with education, nothing is impossible.