Brief Background
I was born and raised in Upper New Jersey, right across the George Washington Bridge that leads into New York City. To say the least, I was exposed to quite the diversity in my community and school. It proved to be a great benefit as it opened me up to different perspectives and ideas from an early age. I am the youngest of six and come from a proud Italian lineage with my grandparents immigrating to the United States from Italy early in the 1900s.
Some Life Milestones
While I was in high school my fondness for the teaching field only intensified and I found myself with a big decision to make — college. The answer was obvious in 1998 when I met a Texan who would become my husband – it was right between my junior and senior year in high school. We both had big educational dreams to fulfill and the Texas A&M system became the path we desired. Texas has been my home since my high-school graduation.
In 1999 my Texan and I began the journey of putting ourselves through college. We married in 2001 and each earned a bachelor degree in May of 2004. I became Texas state certified and began my teaching career right away, but my husband and I also continued into graduate school and each completed a master’s degree in May of 2008. To make that particular graduation all the more exciting, just earlier that same year in January (2008), I gave birth to our daughter. After graduating, my husband began to teach college psychology and simultaneously worked on a doctorate degree which he completed in December of 2012. While I am the sole author of this website, from time to time my husband serves as a helpful sounding board as I bounce ideas off him to gain a more psychological perspective on some of the books I am critiquing.
Aspiring to Make a Difference
There are so many professions out there to select from that allow us to touch and change lives forever… I choose to teach. Granted there are some mornings where I am dragging behind, but once I get to my classroom and see those little faces, I am immediately reminded of why I chose this career. Some days my patience is tested, while others I am intrigued and in awe of the very nature of the children. I strive each day to make a positive difference in the lives of all I come in contact with and truly commit my life to this pursuit. This is in fact why BookNuggets.com exists. It is an extension of my work in the classroom. I bring to you an applied angle on the theories of education as it pertains to language and literacy development. I long to help parents and caregivers enhance the learning opportunities they provide their children during storytime. This is such an important aspect of preparing our children for the future…after all, reading skills go hand in hand with cognitive and writing abilities.
I am so thankful you have allowed me to be a part of you and your children’s story time. I promise to strive to make this website an informative and useful tool for you and your children.