I received my BA in Cultural Anthropology and earned my Elementary Teaching Credential at University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). From 1975 -2011, I worked as an Elementary educator in all grades K-7, teaching in public and private schools in California and Texas. In 1996, I became a Fellow of the South Coast Writing Project (SCWriP) at UCSB and has attended Summer Institutes, Advanced Institutes, Renewals and other SCWriP sponsored activities since 1996. In 2004 I became a member of the Cultural Landscape Colaboratory (CoLab) where teachers from diverse backgrounds and institutions, varying educational levels, and across distances come together to learn with and from one another. I retired from the classroom in 2011. I continue to be involved with SCWriP and CoLab colleagues attending summer programs, presenting at SCWriP summer institutes and renewals, planning and presenting professional development sessions with other SCWriP fellows, and volunteering at my former school each week working in classrooms and consulting with colleagues.