Like many of my students and their families, my background includes several countries and languages!

I was born in Indonesia and went to school there until 8th grade. Then I attended high school in Malaysia for all four years. I returned to the United States for college. I married my friend from high school, who was born and raised in Vietnam. After college my husband and I went to China where we taught English as a Foreign Language in several teachers colleges. Our students were future teachers of English language in the Chinese middle and high schools. Later we moved to Vietnam, where we did the same thing at Vietnam National University until 1998, when we returned to the United States. 

While in Vietnam, my husband and I added to our family by adopting a baby girl. She joined her older sister. With two children, I now stayed home raising them until the youngest entered kindergarten here in Colorado Springs. I went back to school at this point, at UCCS, preparing to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) to children in the public schools by getting my Masters Degree in Multilingual Education. By the way, during this time, everyone in my household was in school, except the cat. My husband was getting his PHD in Linguistics, I was doing my Masters, the older daughter was in high school, and the little one in elementary school!

As you can see, I have an international background, like my students and their families! I would like to serve as a bridge to American culture and American English to the international community here in Colorado Springs! Overseas so many did the same for me, and I would like to return the favor!

In District 11 I taught in High School for many years, then in elementary and middle school. Currently I serve our students in Jenkins Middle School every afternoon during 7th period, and at Scott Elementary, Martinez Elementary, and King Elementary in the mornings. I get to cover ages 5-14 in one day. Wow!

For fun, my family and I like to fish, camp in the beautiful Colorado mountains, and take long motorcycle rides.