Who I am - words that describe me:
As a teacher, I strive to set an example for my students by being a life-long learner. I am driven by a desire to learn new things. I am creative, imaginative, and, at times, I can be very stubborn. I don't like giving up or having someone tell me I can't do something. When someone tells me that I can't do something or that my students can't do something, I love proving them wrong!

My personal challenges:
I love challenges! The biggest challenges of my life have happened AFTER I turned 40: getting my private pilot's license and learning to scuba dive! Both of these involved overcoming fear. I have a poster that reminds me of these challenges. The poster shows a jet fighter flying vertical, straight up into the sky. The caption on the poster says, "It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before ...to test your limits ... to break through barriers." The poster reminds me of my flight training and the courage to go to places I had never been before. I had no idea there would be simulated engine failures. The first time the instructor pulled back the throttle, effectively killing the engine, the panic I felt was beyond description. I thought my instructor had lost his mind and that I would soon be losing my life! There was some purpose to his madness, and I learned about handling emergencies in the airplane. Nothing has scared me quite so badly since that experience.

My career challenges:
Being a teacher is also a big challenge, but it is a daily challenge that I love! I believe ALL students are capable of learning science. Providing a hands-on environment that requires the students to keep up with the fast pace of technology and new developments in the fields of science, as well as brain-storming and solving problems are vital parts of my science classroom. I have been teaching at the Indiana School for the Deaf since 1975. I currently teach high school biology, physics, chemistry, and earth science in the high school department.

Influences:
The most influential people in my life have been my parents. I treasure memories of the things my parents taught me growing up on a farm in Indiana: working in the garden, taking care of the animals, and learning a respect for the environment. The legacy of Christa McAuliffe has also had a great impact on my life. When the Challenger exploded, I would never have dreamed it would eventually lead me to become a pilot and to give my students the incredible experiences of flight and scuba diving in the Scott Carpenter Station. It is an overwhelming feeling each time I take off in a single-engine aircraft, knowing that I can do that because of Christa's life and legacy. I received Indiana's 1994 Christa McAuliffe Fellowship, which allowed me to become a pilot and to develop a summer school program which uses flying as a hook to motivate students in math, science, history, geography, writing, reading, and art.

Future goals:
It is hard for me to imagine something that I have yet to accomplish. I have experienced more things in my 45 short years than most people experience in a whole lifetime. What could possibly top watching a space shuttle launch into space, or piloting an airplane, or scuba diving with the creatures that live in the ocean? Hmmm ... Maybe a ride with the Navy's Blue Angels or the Air Force's Thunderbirds!

My thoughts about space exploration:
My interest in space exploration has a direct connection with my desire to be a lifelong learner. I often look up at the night skies and can't help but wonder what is out there, are we alone, what it is like to orbit the Earth in microgravity, and what space exploration could teach us about ourselves and the universe we live in. As a science teacher, NASA has been my greatest resource for providing support, training, lesson plans, and materials related to space exploration.

Personal information:
My hobbies include all kinds of needlework, gardening, drawing, painting, photography, calligraphy, flying single-engine aircraft, and reading science fiction novels. The most important people in my life are my husband, Greg, and son, Brian, who put up with the adventures that often take me away from home.