I am thrilled to share the journey of learning and growing with students and their families!  I am the Director of The Academy and teacher of the 4s & 5s class.  I graduated high school from Camdenton and attended the University of Missouri-Columbia where I received my degree in Early Childhood Education.  I taught Kindergarten at Dogwood Elementary in Camdenton for 11 years and am currently teaching my 9th year at The Academy at Osage Hills.
I have been married to my husband Bill for 28 years, and we have 5 children, 2 sons-in-law, and TWO GRANDCHILDREN!  We are very blessed to have a growing family.  We stay busy attending many high school sporting events, as Bill is the Athletic Director for the Camdenton School District.  We also enjoy our family time, of course, and always look forward to having everyone gathered in our home.
My passion in education has always been with the younger learners.  Their curiosity and natural love of learning makes every day a joy! I love to incorporate learning and creativity through play, rhymes, songs, and books.  Teaching students how to become respectful, responsible, and kind individuals is also part of my mission as an educator.  
In my spare time I enjoy gardening, decorating, taking walks, creating diaper cakes for baby showers (a random hobby that brings me great joy), and making learning activities for my grandbabies.  I am also an Instacart Shopper, another very random activity that I absolutely enjoy doing!  I guess I keep myself very busy when I'm not teaching!