A Career in Education

My life has been focused on education.  When I was a child, I loved school and I was blessed with amazing teachers.  In college, my focus was on communication – particularly interpersonal communication (between two people).  A year after attaining my undergraduate degree, I entered a master’s program, during which time I began teaching at the college level.  It was then that I decided to pursue a career in Higher Education, which led me to completing my doctoral degree in 2000 at The University of Oklahoma.

For 27 years, I taught undergraduate and graduate courses at colleges and universities in Ohio, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.  College students are the products of our K-12 educational system.  Unfortunately, I witnessed the decline in academic skills and focus as the years went on.  Within the past ten years, students complained about scheduled quizzes because it meant they had to read material before class (i.e., homework).  They were overwhelmed by the amount of work they had to accomplish in all of their courses each semester.  Many sought mental health services to deal with anxiety.  Our high schools are failing to prepare students for college coursework and adult life. 

The state of our public school system is important to me as a mother.  My 7-year-old son will soon enter the public school system and I’m concerned about the standards of education represented in FCPS.  My candidacy is dedicated to him as I pursue the return of academic excellence to all students.