Welcome!

If you're going to listen to anything I say, you'll probably want to know what gives me this position of great authority. 

Nothing! Ha, got you there. I don't claim to have all the answers. There are too many questions. I get tired just thinking of all the questions plaguing education. I am no great scholar on an advanced degree path. I am no great thinker who gets to the core of all issues. I am just a teacher wearing comfortable shoes, trying to make each day magical for my students.

I have had a different career path than many, and it has given me a different perspective. I'll share that with you bit by bit here on Chalk Talk. I didn't just begin teaching in a school and continue on with devotion and persistence. I applaud those who have done so! You can look down on me from your lofty position on the pay ladder and cheer me on, I hope. Maybe you’ll toss me a breadcrumb.

I came to teaching late. I left for a while. I tried something new and created my own business. I sifted through those experiences, let the chaff fall away, and found that what remained was my passion for public education. I believe that in learning, you can rise above. And so, I teach.

Keep coming back to Chalk Talk for all the secret truths to a successful teaching career! You'll learn how to motivate the glummest of students, how to convert the mean girl to kindness, how to turn a colleague into a teacher BFF, and how to score advanced on all evaluations!

No, you won't. Probably not. It's looking doubtful. But I'll share some stories, and some classroom fun, and we can create a community together of passionate educators, dedicated to helping our students rise.