How did I get here?

Holding a PhD in Literacy Education was not on my "list of things to do." When I decided to go back to college, all I wanted was to be a teacher. It took me six years of full-time classes while working part to full-time and being a wife and mother. I wish I could say I "did it all" but that would not be accurate. Unfortunately, my family often got the "leftovers" which speaks to their whole-hearted support. Then the day finally came...graduation...a job as a kindergarten teacher! My dream realized, I didn't think there could be anything more I would want! For five years I went to work hardly believing I got paid for such an amazing experience. Working with 5- and 6-year-old human beings is exhilarating and I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else!


It was in this stimulating environment that I fell in love with the emergent and early literacy journeys of the children and families I worked with. I became, what some may call, a "professional development junkie"--reading books on the subject, seeking out other teachers passionate about literacy development, taking additional classes and attending workshops, and creating and reflecting upon classroom practices that truly supported the children and families I worked with. It wasn't long before I started to see the value in furthering my education in this field. 


Then came the fateful day when I opened my newest issue of The Reading Teacher and saw an ad for a PhD in Literacy Education through University of Wyoming. After visiting their program and meeting faculty and other students I knew my life would change. With the sacrificial support of my husband, I moved to Laramie, Wyoming to begin this journey. There are times that I ask myself, "What am I doing here?" The answer always comes back to the hope and desire to spread my passion beyond the four walls of my classroom--to support other teachers who have my same passion--to make a difference in the lives of children and families as they encounter literacy's ups and downs.


I leave you today with a quote from Fred Rogers, one of my favorite champions for children: "We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It's easy to say 'It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.' Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes."