So, here’s how it started:

Me: “So I thought of a name for the blog: Tightrope Teaching!”

Husband: “When you say ‘tightrope,’ I think of elephants and peanuts…What does teaching have to do with the circus?” 

[lightbulb explodes in my brain…as an English teacher, this metaphor was just too good to resist!]

Me: “EVERYTHING!!”

When I got hired for my first teaching job fresh out of college, some stellar colleagues opened their hearts and their filing cabinets to me; I don’t know what I would have done without them. Over the years, I’ve always enjoyed helping and mentoring other teachers in the same way. 

Teaching is a hard job. Whether you are a new teacher looking for tips on how to make this crazy ride just a little less bumpy for yourself, or a veteran teacher seeking that elusive work-life balance, you’ve come to the right place. 

Here you’ll find real-life stories about teaching and life, resources you can use in your classroom tomorrow, candid reflections on the pressures and demands of life and work, and realistic suggestions on how to do ALL OF THE THINGS without losing your sense of balance, sense of humor, or your sanity. 

Creator Bio

In elementary school, I was the kid with a book and a flashlight under the blankets at bedtime.

In middle school, I wrote volumes of poetry as a way of working through my adolescent emotions, and sentence diagramming day was the best day in English class. 

In high school, I would beg my friends to let me edit and proofread their essays because I thought it was so fun! 

So, becoming an English teacher seemed like a natural career choice.

I’ve been teaching in public high schools since 2005. I’m licensed in grades 6/7-12 in NY and NC, have a BA in Secondary English Education and an MA in English. I’ve been National Board Certified since 2011. 

I’ve also learned a lot from the School of Sink-or-Swim.

Although my own career has been spent in traditional public schools, my husband has an MA in K-6 education and currently homeschools our 4 kids, having previously been a classroom teacher at the private Christian school where our children attended. 

This means I’ve got a multitude of perspectives on education: I’ve been a student, parent, teacher, and spouse in Christian, secular, public, private, and home schools.

I’ve seen a lot change over the years, especially in the arena of public education. However, I do believe that good teaching at its core is good teaching, and some things never change.

Good teaching is not a factory production line, but rather a host of arts: 

• the art of human connection, 
• the art of effective methodology,
• the art of creative intrigue.

Teaching is 50% a science, 50% and art…and 100% heart. I’m not perfect and I don’t have ALL the answers, but after 19 years in a classroom and 11 years as a mom, I think I’ve learned a thing or two worth sharing. Come along with me!