I moved into my home on April 1st of 2021.

For the 2025-2026 school year, I will be teaching a general education third-grade class in School District U-46. In addition to my kindergarten to ninth grade certification, I have an endorsement to teach Spanish/ English dual language classes and an endorsement to teach English Language Learners. I completed my Master’s degree in Education in 2007. However, my first two years in teaching were Trinity High School in River Forrest where I taught Spanish to sophomore, junior and senior students.

I am currently working at Otter Creek Elementary in Elgin, School District U-46.

As a high school student I spent a summer as an exchange student through the American Field Service in Cali, Colombia. That experience provided me with a love of the Spanish language. I then attended Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana where I completed my Bachelor’s Degree with a major in Spanish and Latin American Studies. I was able to complete a semester program at The National Autonomous University in Mexico City, Mexico during this time. My first few years after graduating were spent teaching high school Spanish classes at Trinity High School. At that time, teaching in the private sector didn’t allow me to live independently financially. An opportunity came my way to work as an office manager in a dental office that was too good for me to pass up. I worked in the dental field until the dentist I was working for closed his Arlington Heights office to open a practice in Beverly Hills, California. During that time, I started working as a substitute teacher in District U-46. I realized how much I really missed working with kids and my love of the Spanish language once again guided me back to school. I started my Master’s Degree in Education while working as a fifth-grade Bilingual Teacher. I received my Master’s Degree through Aurora University.

I am enjoying my teaching career more now than ever. As my own children have grown up and “left the nest”, I find working with my students joyful. The best part about being a teacher is that you have the opportunity to inspire your students to grow not only academically, but socially and emotionally as well. Each time I look at my students I think about what type of adults they will be. If I can teach them to love and believe in themselves, to respect others, to problem solve, and to persevere when things are challenging, they will do well academically, and more importantly, they will enjoy their lives. School should be a fun place to learn and grow. As we educate the next generation of adults in our society, we need to remember that.

I have fond memories of my elementary school years. I remember my amazing teachers, the special activities and wonderful classroom celebrations that made my elementary years so special.

In addition to my own educational experiences, raising my own children who are now young adults has allowed me to see my students from a mother’s perspective. My daughter, Kathleen is a Speech Pathologist in District U-46 and my son is an Enterprise Account Executive with SAP Concur. They both are graduates of Burlington District 301. As a mom, I wanted the best education for my own children. That is my focus when working with the parents and families of my students.

My advice to new teachers would be to focus your attention on building strong relationships with your students. Even I have to remind myself each year to take things slowly at the beginning of the school year. It’s really important to teach the daily routines, classroom expectations and procedures that you want your students to follow. Encouraging your students to teach you how they learn best encourages your students to take ownership of their own learning. Kids become life long learners when they feel empowered by their education. Playing games, integrating total physical response, and visuals as well as every other teaching strategy that educators use are ways to discover what works best for your individual students.