Born into an academic family I was disposed, but disinterested in teaching. In 1985 I started work as a counselor in a group home. I soon recognized I could not resist the family calling. In 1987 I started work at the New England Adolescent Research Institute (NEARI) teaching students with deep emotional trauma. In 1995 I began at the Magnet Middle School for the Performing Arts and in 2006 began teaching at Holyoke High School. At Holyoke High, in addition to teaching both standard and AP World History, I proposed and wrote curriculum for two classes; World Religion and Contemporary Issue. Contemporary Issues is a class designed on "Exploring Global Issues using a Systems Thinking approach with the goal of expanding Worldview while seeking Sustainable Solutions, taking into account Human Rights and Social Justice". In 2017 Contemporary Issues was expanded into a full year class that became the keystone class in Holyoke High School's new Community and Global Studies Academy. It is with this academy in mind that I created this website as a resource for fellow academy teachers and others.
While I pursed many opportunities to network and study global issues throughout my career, including KAFE in Los Angeles, Climate Change at Glacier National Park, Teaching about East Asia in Boulder Colorado as well as countless local workshops, symposiums and institutes, It was at this time, with my children grown, that I applied and was accepted into first, The Transatlantic Outreach Program Fellowship, the Teachers for Global Classroom Fellowship and ESD- Japan through Fulbright/ Japan. I hope to continue my own study and to be a resource and advocate for increasing global competencies in our students everywhere.