I've been a teacher forever, or at least since 1973, which is when I launched my career as an English instructor in the California secondary school system. I left this setting after five years of many wonderful classroom memories, got married and was hired for a full-time position in the English Department at Santa Rosa Junior College in 1981. I launched my SRJC career as Writing Center assistant and instructor of basic writing classes in the department's newly established Writing Center. In 1987 I accepted an invitation to assist with the establishment of the College Skills department. I have enjoyed teaching math and writing classes to basic skills students over the past few years. In addition to these core subjects,I have also had the opportunity to teach three online courses: College Skills 334, How to Take an Online Class; and College Skills 312.1, Sentence and Paragraph Development; and CSKLS 368 A/B, Math Review.

During and after my course work on a Master of Arts degree in Education, with an emphasis in the curriculum and teaching of math, reading and writing, one of my hunches about learning was nurtured and then shaped into a published work: An Investigation of Emotional Intelligence and Academic Success for Underprepared Community College Students in a Math, Reading and Writing Program Based on Constructivist Principles. Basically, this thesis attempts to inform educators about the educational implications of emotional intelligence while suggesting and examining the use of a constructive classroom to promote the integration of cognition and emotions. A person's emotional intelligence plays a significant role in learning.

In my free time I enjoy family activities like hiking in the mountains, traveling to other countries, and kayaking. Sounds rather boring - right? Not to worry ~ I add a heavy dose of rock 'n roll and blues.