It is a privilege and a great pleasure to be a teacher at Oswego Playschool. When I first came to the school in 2003, it was as a parent. My daughter was enrolled in the three-day class. I chose this particular school for my daughter because it came so highly recommended by parents whom I knew and admired. It was easy to put faith in a school that had existed for over fifty years. I served as a board member and as newsletter editor. I liked having a voice in school decisions and policy making.

Once I visited OP, saw the provocative environment, understood the play-centered philosophy of the curriculum, and felt the cooperative spirit of working together, I knew it would be a great place to foster a sense of belonging in my child. She would get to be an integral part of a blossoming community! And as a bonus, so would I. As such our family has met some wonderful people and developed lasting friendships through the school.

When I came to OP, I had the pleasure of occasionally acting as a substitute teacher. When the position for lead teacher opened in the spring, I knew it would be a great fit for me professionally. I wasn’t really planning to look for a job. But my prior love of working with children led me to realize that I had a strong desire to give to other families the wonderful benefits I had received myself from the school.

I first began working with young children when I was 16. Aside from babysitting, I worked for the YWCA at a crisis shelter for women and children. I was in charge of the supervision of young children, often with some type of special need or developmental delay. While the mothers went to group therapy or looked for employment, I would connect and play with beautiful yet at risk children. That interest of working with young families led me to major in Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University receiving my Bachelor’s of Science degree there. 

As a student, I took a job at a correctional facility for adolescents. I was part of the correctional education program, as well as a tutor. I worked as a juvenile specialist at the Oak Ridge Juvenile Correctional Center for five years in Bon Air, Virginia. 

I then married, had two children and chose to be a stay at home mother for eight years. During that time my older child was a student at a cooperative style preschool for three years. I served as a fundraising board member for the Sabot School, a Reggio Emilia inspired school in Richmond, Va. I spent many hours as a parent volunteering for the school, interacting with children in the program. It was wonderful to connect with young children and more fully understand their preschool needs. I was able to witness the important role a preschool teacher has in encouraging a child's self esteem and building a sense of autonomy. Thus my love of serving this age group was born.

My main goals as a cooperative teacher at OP are to acknowledge children as powerful thinkers, help foster joy in learning, support their processes of social, emotional, physical and academic growth, discover their unique gifts to share with the community, and document their preschool journey so they may gain a deeper understanding of themselves. I am fully committed to a play centered curriculum as well as helping parents understand the myriad strengths of our program.

It has been an honor to bring my experience from my years of mentoring children to Oswego Playschool. I hope to continue teaching in this cooperative setting for many years to come.