I have lived in Cobb County all of my life. I am a product of the Cobb County School System. I began my career in education with Cobb County nearly twenty years ago. I was hired as a teacher by the principal of the middle school that I attended! I graduated from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. Through my education courses in college, I quickly realized my desire and passion to teach students with disabilities. After teaching special education in Cobb County for nine years, I became an Instructional Lead Teacher. I was an Instructional Lead Teacher for four years before being promoted to an administrative position. I have been at East Side for the past six years. I was Assistant Principal for four years and have been Principal for the past two years.

One has to have an interest in communicating with people on a daily basis in choosing an administrative career. The ability to communicate well is central to the success of almost any organization. My mission as principal is to foster open, honest, and respectful relationships among staff, parents, and students. My theme for the past two year has been, “Refining the 3 R’s…Respect, Relationships, and Responsibilities.”

My Beliefs:

Personal Interests:

When I am not at work, my interests include oil painting, playing tennis, golfing, antiquing, and decorating. I also spend much time with my family and friends. I enjoy laughing as much as possible. I firmly believe that laughing reduces stress significantly! I have a toy poodle that I spoil often; she thinks that she is human.

I invite you to visit East Side to formulate your own opinions of the school. I think that you will quickly agree that it has a neighborhood school appeal; wonderful, caring teachers and staff; polite, well-rounded students; and supportive/active parents. Although our building is nearly fifty-five years old, it has a lot of character and all of the latest resources that make it a top-notch school! Come see for yourself!

Throughout my career of more than twenty -five years in education, I have had many wonderful opportunities to teach children at the elementary level. My beliefs about teaching are driven by my beliefs about the process of learning. Because I believe that all children are capable of learning, I have set myself up in diverse teaching settings to allow me the opportunity to “test out” my beliefs. It has been my privilege to teach children from many diverse backgrounds and settings, especially in the area of special education. For many years of my career I taught children in inclusion settings. Having worked with these children, some whom were severely handicapped, helped me to realize that they taught me as much as I was able to teach them. These settings have only intensified my belief that all children can learn as I presently work with staffs of teachers to encourage them to try new teaching strategies, to recognize individual learning styles, and to applaud the strengths of all students.

How blessed I have been to be a part of this wonderful profession for so many years! My greatest rewards have come when I have been able to evoke the love of learning within a child and most recently the love of teaching in a teacher. By believing the best about students and teachers, I think it is very important as a school leader to be a positive role model by being consistent in my actions and expectations so that each will become a major contributor in our ever-changing, fast-paced twenty-first society.