Meet Your Teacher

How did I become a part of the Yellow Jacket Family?.... Well, first I got on an airplane,(a very big one), and flew across the Atlantic Ocean from South Africa (Summit Collge) all the way to North Carolina,USA! (The place to be!) My very first stop was in Raleigh, NC. I spent a week at the Carolina Hotel in beautiful Chapel Hill. I arrived in mid August and was very surprised at how hot it was here. Yes!! It is a lot warmer here than summers in Johannesburg! Needless to say, I was greatful for "air conditioned" USA. I spent three wonderful years teaching in the Middle and High Schools in Lexington, NC. After that... I thought that I would try something different...something I have always wanted to teach... English! I had a very good math backgound, but I went to school to learn to teach English. In South Africa, you have to choose four majors. I chose Math because it was easy, Art because it was easy, Science because it was interesting and English because I loved it! However, when I started my teaching career as an English Teacher my Principal asked me to teach Math for obvious reasons. This shaped the way I taught math. I, stubbornly, used my Enlish didactics to teach math...I love drama, poetry, reading, and everything about English! I found ways to use this methodology in my math classes. When the opportunity presented itself to teach Language Arts at Welborn Middle School, I grabbed it. Although I loved every minute there, I realized that my true passion lies in the instruction of mathematics. This lead me to my next awesome expereince: Teaching mathematics in a Montesorri Middle School! I was co-directress of The Montesorri Middle School of Raleigh. There I learnt to truely appreciate and understand the world with all its complexities and inter-connectedness. On the one hand I taught Math and on the other hand, I raised a community. My experiences at the Montesorri school served as a strong reminder of what I envisioned teaching and learning to be. It reminded me of the very first time I read about Maria Montesorri and how I wanted to expand my own knowledge based on her philosophies. Yes! I enjoyed my time at the Montesorri school a lot. .........mmm! what did I do next? You will not beleive this! I taught special education! math--language--science to 6th, 7th and 8th graders! Check back later for more!!!