I have been asked, "When did you know you wanted to become a teacher?
I respond with a vivid memory from my childhood. When I was seven years old, I asked Santa for a blackboard so I could play school with my baby brother and my dolls and stuffed animals. Christmas morning I opened a large box and began to cry. Yes, it was a blackboard but it was not like the ones at Glenwood Elementary. My blackboard was constructed like an easel and could be folded and put away. What I wanted was a large blackboard that could be mounted on the basement wall, and I could be a real teacher. For my birthday in March, my dad put up MY large wall mounted blackboard, and I became a teacher.
I am fortunate to be living what I love and to have experienced diverse opportunities in education. After a career as a teacher of middle level students in both public and private schools, as a testing coordinator for the U.S. Army, as a principal of a PreK-8 Catholic school, and as the Director of Curriculum for the Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Erie, I came to Gannon’s School of Education. During my time at Gannon, I have acquired additional responsibilities including Director of Secondary Programs, Associate Director of the School of Education, Director of Undergraduate Programs as well as my current roles as Director of the School of Education, Program Director for the M.Ed. with Secondary Teaching Certification, Coordinator of Clinical Experiences, University Certification Officer, PDE Liaison, and professor of both undergraduate and graduate education courses. My research interests focus on curriculum, instruction, and assessment and the relationship among these three key elements of education. While today's blackboard has changed significantly, I still love teaching.
I am very proud that I have been recognized by my students and my peers as an exemplary professor, advisor, and Christ-like person, having won the Excellence in Undergraduate Advising Award twice, the Maroon and Gold Award, the Bishop's Feed My Sheep Award, and the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society Professor of the Year Award. (The Feed My Sheep Award is presented to a person who exemplifies Christ, the Good Shepherd, in words and deeds through joyful outreach.)
My greatest professional joy comes from working with students. My goal is to create a worthwhile educational experience for all students that will lead them into their own successful careers as teachers and school administrators.
My greatest personal joy comes from spending time with my family: my husband of 57 years, our four children and their spouses, and our eight grandchildren.