I was born into a family of teachers and farmers; exploring and learning began at an early age. Uncovering the mysteries of a farm, sharing stories in books, and creating worlds of my own through writing came naturally then and continue to this day. This love of words led me to the teaching profession. My 34 year public education career included teaching music, k-3 reading and 2nd grade. I earned my undergraduate degree from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale and completed my graduate work in reading from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville (SIUE) and Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Olivet Nazarene University. While teaching with the Mascoutah, IL school district, I co-directed professional development within my school building and presented seminars at the Illinois Reading Council spring conferences. In 2009, I was a recipient of the Illinois Council for Affective Reading (ICARE) Award presented by the Illinois Reading Council. Upon retiring from public education, I continued learning and teaching through work with undergraduate and graduate practicing and future teachers at Lindenwood University (2010-11), SIUE (2011) and McKendree University (2009-2013). Presently, I enjoy working with education professionals as a CoLab (www.ourcolab.org) team leader.