1st Grade - 1975

 
 
I grew up in Philadelphia, PA and I live in Hatboro, PA with my husband, Pete and my son, Ben. I received a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Temple University, and I am certified as a teacher of Early Childhood, Elementary and Special Education. I have taken graduate courses in a Reading Education program at Temple.  I started out in nursing school, but it wasn't long before I realized I wanted to be a teacher - and a writer!  I have worked as a day care teacher, gift shop worker, nanny, camp counselor, literacy and math tutor, and a teacher of grades K-5. Currently, I am a 6th grade teacher, and I love sharing the joy of reading and writing with my students!
I love to spend time outdoors gardening, hiking, running, kayaking and exploring nature with my family and friends. It is wonderful to hike and bike the trails and watch the wildlife at our local nature preserve. I enjoy bird watching and seeing the funny antics of our resident squirrels. I also enjoy visiting local museums, zoos, gardens, farms and historic places. 

A favorite family trip each summer is visiting a working farm in Lancaster, PA where we gather eggs, feed goats and sheep, go on a hayride and swing on a rope swing in the barn! We visit the PA Renaissance Faire each summer and enjoy being transported back to medieval days!  

My family and I traveled to Iceland this summer! What an amazing adventure! We were in awe of the natural beauty as we hiked to the top of waterfalls, climbed mountains, explored tiny villages and took in the wonders of geysers, glaciers and volcanoes.  We traveled in the company of the elves and trolls that inhabit the magical island.

I love to read travel books and "visit" so many new places through the books I read.  I would love to visit  England one day!   My favorite books include the works of Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. We are huge J.R.R. Tolkien fans at our house and love The Hobbit and all things Middle Earth!  I love to read inspirational books and anything that celebrates the beauty of nature and brings me joy!  My faith, my family and my friends are so important to me and I am blessed to have so much joy and inspiration in my life!

My Favorite Children's Books

"A book is like a garden, carried in the pocket."
~ Chinese Proverb ~ 

My favorite children's books are The Betsy-Tacy books written by Maud Hart Lovelace and The Betsy books written by Carolyn Heywood. I read those books over and over again when I was a child and I enjoy reading them even today!

I also enjoyed reading all of the Encyclopedia Brown books when I was a kid. It was great fun to try to solve all of Encyclopedia's mysteries!  I loved The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and Beatrix Potter and all of her wonderful, little books! 

I love Cynthia Rylant's Henry and Mudge and Mr. Putter and Tabby series and all the Bear books by Karma Wilson, too!  I am always on the lookout for wonderful picture books to add to my classroom library and my writer's library, too!
 
 

I love Little Free Libraries!  My son, Ben and I are happy to help support the Little Free Library at Masons Mill Park in Huntingdon Valley, PA!  It's amazing how much joy comes from this little box of books!  I love going to restock our LFL to find families gathered on park benches sharing books selected from the little library. 
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