"I am a certified teacher experienced with elementary, middle, high school and college students. I even coach adults in creative writing. As a teacher, working with students is my job. But as a professional writer, reading and writing are my passions! I am a 5 time published playwright with plays being performed around the world, and I have just had a screenplay optioned with a producing team. I work hard to show students of all levels and abilities that effectively expressing yourself in writing is possible for everyone.

I teach and coach with humor and kindness, and excel at helping students get past writer's block and insecurity. I take writers from brainstorm to polished finished product, whether it is a sentence, paragraph, essay or creative writing work. While I have over 20 years experience and the skill and certification of an educator, my approach is less skill and drill and more reliant on getting students to think deeply and gain the confidence and eagerness to share their ideas. I can teach the basics, but I also love to change a student's opinion of and approach to reading and writing.

The best writers are readers. As a writer, I specialize in helping students get under the words in any story to realize author's purpose, understand inferencing, make connections within and beyond a text. Relating stories to the real world is a huge part of getting students of any age to want to read--and want to understand how stories are crafted.

I am passionate about history and sports, and was a collegiate scholarship athlete and Academic All-American myself. I have a wide range of knowledge and am eager to work with students! Let's connect and see what I can do for you." less...