Education

• I graduated from Lancaster High School in 1979.  (Holy cow that sounds like a long time ago!)   I majored in science and art.
• I received an Associates Degree in Animal Management in 1990 from Niagara County Community College.  During this time I worked as an intern at the Buffalo Zoo.  
• I received a scholarship from Niagara University so I went on to complete my Bachelors Degree in Biology and Education in 1993.
• I finished my Masters Degree as a Reading Specialist at St. Bonaventure University's Hilbert program in 1998.  This worked well for me because I could attend classes at the Hilbert College campus on Friday nights and Saturdays.  This took a year and a half and believe me I was very happy when I finished!  Teaching full time and going to school was hard work.  I received St. Bonaventure's Achievement Award for Excellence in the Graduate Reading Program.

"You cannot teach a man anything;
         you can only help him find it within himself."    
                                              -Galileo

My Family

• Check out my photo gallery!

My Philosophy

• I believe learning is something the students do, not something I do for them.  My role is primarily to supervise the energy the students invest in the learning process and to steer it in useful directions. The best use of classroom time together is not necessarily to duplicate the textbook or other materials, but to present alternative points of view and discuss and debate the material.  Real learning is fun, exciting, turbulent, sometimes scary, and almost never easy.  I learn a lot from my students, and I enjoy being around as they learn, too.
• In addition, I came to the realization that the part of teaching I most treasured was when students would actually ask questions about the subject that I love so much - science.  Every time a student asks a question, I have of the thrill of knowing that they are actually THINKING about science, regardless of what "level" the question is at.
• I would sum up my "teaching philosophy" in the following way.  Love your subject.  Care about your students.  Make it your job to be sure that every student has the opportunity to ask that question they have - the one that, sometimes, numerous other students in the class also learn from.
• And finally, I recognize how exciting it is, and how fortunate I am, to have the opportunity to share my love of learning with bright young people.