I began my career as a primary school teacher, teaching little
kids: kindergarten, first grade, second grade, Reading Recovery,
and lots of reading remedial programs for older students as
well. I am proud to say that I have taught numerous young children
to learn how to read. I also taught in England as a Fulbright
Exchange Teacher. Currently, I work to train young adults how
to have the skills, dispositions and materials to do so.
As a scholar, I have two areas of research. One is New Zealand
and the second is literacy coaches. Regarding the New Zealand
interest, I wrote and secured the International Vanderputten
Award to travel to Auckland and do preliminary work for setting
up a program in which I bring university students. The following
year, I brought 10 university students overseas and we learned
about the Maori culture, spent time in Auckland classrooms,
and compared the differences between the United States and New
Zealand pertaining to the two cultural and economic systems.
Regarding Literacy Coaches, I created and analyzed a survey
on Wisconsin teachers. The position of Literacy Coach continues
to gain in number and influence in our educational systems due
to the federal initiative of No Child Left Behind. I am currently
writing an article about what is currently present in Wisconsin
in terms of responsibilities, job title, funding, and professional
development.
