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Transforming schools
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About Me
With over 25 years of experience in K-12 and higher education, I've had every role you can imagine in schools: elementary school teacher, middle school teacher, HS teacher, K-12 teaching artist, theatre teacher, performing arts department head, curriculum coordinator, teacher mentor, administrator, principal, academic dean, academic advisor, and leadership coach. I was awarded a Teacher Eddy Award for being one of Los Angeles's top teachers.
I've also had the great fortune of having trained teachers at NYU, Pepperdine, and UCLA, serving as a student teaching supervisor and adjunct professor in arts education and teacher education. I was awarded a teaching excellence award at NYU.
Because of my experience and education, I have a unique perspective. I understand what you and your school are going through, and I can help!
I've been through a lot of change at schools and have witnessed and experienced burnout. I've seen teachers lose their love of teaching, and students become completely disengaged.
If your school is experiencing a high turnover rate, teachers & staff who don't feel appreciated/valued/seen, issues with student/family retention, leaders who can't seem to get out of endless meetings, I can help!
With my education and experience, I've found ways to motivate school leaders, staff, and teachers, bring joy and laughter back into their lives, and remind them of why they started in the field in the first place.
I've discovered ways to coach staff, teachers, and leaders to help bring the 'why' back into the conversation and help them make plans to focus on all aspects of their lives to thrive.
I provide strategies for teachers that can be used the very next day in their classrooms to reinvigorate their teaching praxis and engage their students.
I provide systems to help school staff and leaders function in a more productive and joyful way.
I've presented at national and international conferences and provided countless workshops in a variety of settings.
I've contributed to a couple of books for educators (see my publications page) and am currently writing a book for educators and school leaders.
I earned a B.F.A. in performance from the University of Miami, an M.A. in elementary education from the University of South Florida, an Ed.M. in arts in education from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in educational theatre from New York University. I also hold a California single-subject credential in Theatre and a multiple-subject credential.
I've also had the great fortune of having trained teachers at NYU, Pepperdine, and UCLA, serving as a student teaching supervisor and adjunct professor in arts education and teacher education. I was awarded a teaching excellence award at NYU.
Because of my experience and education, I have a unique perspective. I understand what you and your school are going through, and I can help!
I've been through a lot of change at schools and have witnessed and experienced burnout. I've seen teachers lose their love of teaching, and students become completely disengaged.
If your school is experiencing a high turnover rate, teachers & staff who don't feel appreciated/valued/seen, issues with student/family retention, leaders who can't seem to get out of endless meetings, I can help!
With my education and experience, I've found ways to motivate school leaders, staff, and teachers, bring joy and laughter back into their lives, and remind them of why they started in the field in the first place.
I've discovered ways to coach staff, teachers, and leaders to help bring the 'why' back into the conversation and help them make plans to focus on all aspects of their lives to thrive.
I provide strategies for teachers that can be used the very next day in their classrooms to reinvigorate their teaching praxis and engage their students.
I provide systems to help school staff and leaders function in a more productive and joyful way.
I've presented at national and international conferences and provided countless workshops in a variety of settings.
I've contributed to a couple of books for educators (see my publications page) and am currently writing a book for educators and school leaders.
I earned a B.F.A. in performance from the University of Miami, an M.A. in elementary education from the University of South Florida, an Ed.M. in arts in education from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in educational theatre from New York University. I also hold a California single-subject credential in Theatre and a multiple-subject credential.
Teaching Philosophy and Diversity Statement
The arts and arts education are a human right.
Everyone deserves to experience, create, and appreciate the arts,
yet the barriers to an arts education in school and beyond school walls are still too high.
It is critical to teach from a culturally responsive and anti-biased lens.
The arts must not only be inclusive of all abilities, viewpoints, and backgrounds,
but must go beyond claiming to be a safe space.
In my classroom, I aim to foster a brave space, where we can take risks,
step beyond our comfort zones, and express our true selves. Where student voices are elevated
and my role as teacher shifts to that of co-learner and facilitator.
A space where every voice counts,
where everyone is seen for who they really are,
where everyone matters,
and where the traditional teacher-student power dynamic is challenged and flipped on its head.
I challenge students to question everything,
consider the many voices still missing and being excluded from 'topics' and 'subjects' we teach,
and investigate all perspectives we can find on any topic.
Everyone deserves to experience, create, and appreciate the arts,
yet the barriers to an arts education in school and beyond school walls are still too high.
It is critical to teach from a culturally responsive and anti-biased lens.
The arts must not only be inclusive of all abilities, viewpoints, and backgrounds,
but must go beyond claiming to be a safe space.
In my classroom, I aim to foster a brave space, where we can take risks,
step beyond our comfort zones, and express our true selves. Where student voices are elevated
and my role as teacher shifts to that of co-learner and facilitator.
A space where every voice counts,
where everyone is seen for who they really are,
where everyone matters,
and where the traditional teacher-student power dynamic is challenged and flipped on its head.
I challenge students to question everything,
consider the many voices still missing and being excluded from 'topics' and 'subjects' we teach,
and investigate all perspectives we can find on any topic.