About Me

Deep in my DNA,  I believe there was a biological imperative for me to teach, coach and guide others in matters of children and education.  By seven years old, I was hosting classmates after school in our family’s Philadelphia basement where I had set up a decorated classroom with prepared lessons, a professional chalkboard, slick white chalk and the all-felt erasers, promising candy as a reward. I announced at seven and for the next 13 years that I would be an elementary school teacher, determined to change the way many children perceived school, as a place you had to be that wasn’t particularly happy, but was “good for you.”  I believed that loving to learn can be taught and that teaching must be experiential.  If we injected happiness into the classroom, presumed that all humans do better when they are loved, and teachers exuded joy and love, then going to school would be chosen, not forced. 

It was my good fortune that our family lived in a neighborhood where the local public schools were considered outstanding.  Though my “cool” friends thought they were the thrill I was seeking, I was always trying to please my English, Math, Social Studies, History and Science teachers!  Secretly smart, I rose in ranks and was offered a spot at the University of Pennsylvania which was one of the few Ivy League universities with a Graduate College of Education.  The progressive professors lifted my hopes for making a difference as a teacher.

I taught every grade, every subject, to first through eighth graders for 20+ years in the Philadelphia School District. My passion for the profession rose to intensities that included working with students daily before school began, and staying after school to teach public school students the joy of jazz dancing.  I invited parents to be part of my classroom experience every day, a practice that was shunned by many colleagues who preferred to keep parents at a distance.  I loved the parents as I loved my students – and families in inner-city neighborhoods regularly invited me to meals at their homes. It felt revelatory that we don’t merely teach the child; we could open the window to families and nurture community camaraderie. I befriended the whole family of each student and appreciation poured my way!  I was humbled by colleagues and parents who nominated me for Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year several years in a row, and then I was awarded two City Teacher of the Year awards, back to back before my tenure in Philadelphia ended.

My own parents’ untimely deaths drove me to leave my hometown to open a new chapter. Good fortune smiled again, when Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica, California welcomed me to teach, and do oh so much more!  Founded by Harvard-educated Paul Cummins on the premise that schools can be places for happy, self-confident kids where children feel safe and connected with destinies to become lifelong learners. Crossroads would become my home for 25 years, 20 of which I was honored to serve as the Dean of Students.  This administrative role became my fertile soil to work for the betterment of family relationships with each other, and the families’ relationships to the school. 

The nuts and bolts of those 40+ years involved hundreds of hours of graduate courses, professional conferences as a learner and as a presenter, and drove me to master much more than elementary school curriculums. I partnered with colleagues to lead presentations on Tech Safety, DEI studies, and Life Skills. While I am proud to have achieved academically, and succeeded professionally, there are few titles I’ve earned that filled me with more pride than the titles given to me by 2nd and 3rd grade students in my last few years. The titles stuck and I promptly removed the office door “Dean” placard to made room for homemade signs that read: "The Kindness Coach" and "The Friendship Doctor!"

What a glorious immersive career I experienced with children as my main constituents!  The time felt right to shift my priority to the arising issues of adult parents and caregivers. Let's ground ourselves and strengthen our own resilience. Being a secure steady parent infuses steady secure feelings inside our children.  I can't help but think that if we have a hand in developing grounded, kind, bright, communicative and caring children, the future is brighter. 💛