I have always wanted to be a teacher, however my first experience of teaching ended up being tutoring. As an undergraduate, at James Madison University, I tutored many of my 
fellow musicians in diction and pronunciation for singing. I also tutored students who were enrolled in French and Italian language courses and those who simply wanted to learn a language from a private tutor.
I did an intensive training program in Chania, Greece for Teaching English as a Foreign Language in 2004. The more I learned, the more I realized there was still a lot I didn’t know.
After graduation, I was a substitute teacher for Virginia Beach City Public Schools. I became a kind of permanent substitute at Brandon Middle School, which I had attended for eighth grade. The assistant principal, Mr. McLamb, would usually come to me at the end of an assignment and ask me to start a new one for the next day.
I took a little detour from teaching after this, to get my professional licence as a hair stylist. It was only a few years before I was back to teaching.
I took a position at the American International School in Libreville, Gabon, where my sister was serving her first post as a Foreign Service Officer. I was supposed to be substituting for a teacher’s maternity leave but was quickly asked to stay on as the permanent 3rd & 4th grade teacher for the school year.
I taught all the subjects, but especially enjoyed teaching art. I also directed the school’s holiday show.
In addition to my young pupils, I taught an advanced English class for adults. I was grateful for the opportunity to become acquainted with so many Gabonese and learned about their culture through our discussions. They happily shared, though they were more interested in my knowledge of the U.S.
After returning to the U.S., I worked in a salon again. However, I couldn’t stay away from teaching!
I became a French language tutor to different students, from a high school senior struggling with an online AP French class to an ODU professor preparing for a vacation trip.
I also went back to school at Old Dominion University, to complete my Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics, with an emphasis in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). I was lucky enough to have Kim Fahle-Peck as a classmate in the Fall of 2015. She was the coordinator of Writing Services at Virginia Wesleyan (then College, now University). She hired me as a professional writing tutor and I fell in love with it. I worked there until starting my full-time position at ODU. At ODU, I tutored in the Writing Center as a graduate assistant the entire year and a half I was a full-time student. I even had the opportunity to serve as the Assistant Director, under Megan Boeshart-Burelle. I loved being a resource for the other tutors as they navigated their role as tutor.
I have taught ESL (English as a Second Language) courses to international students at the ODU English Language Center and Tidewater Community College. I teach grammar, composition, academic reading, listening and speaking skills.
I am currently the ePortfolio Support Coordinator at Old Dominion University working with Megan K. Mize, the Associate Director of ePortfolios and Digital Initiatives.
We are constantly building ODU’s ePortfolio program and have both undergraduate and graduate students as ePortfolio Assistants. We work with faculty and students throughout the university, offering individual and group tutorials, class presentations and workshops. In a world that is consistently becoming more digital, ePortfolios are essential for students and professionals to showcase their accomplishments. Employers and graduate schools are starting to expect an online presence from candidates. ePortfolios are also a chance to visually create a story of a person’s background. We support multiple ongoing grants and projects, including ODU’s LeADERS program.