About

I’m currently working as a teacher of English both online and face-to-face at Centre Wellington District High School in Fergus, Ontario.

I have been a teacher since 1994, spending 3 years teaching English in Japan, and the rest in Ontario teaching library, drama, English, leadership and media arts in the classroom and online.  I became a teacher-librarian full-time in 2009.  When I was diagnosed with uterine cancer in May 2019, I agreed to make a change in schools to be closer to home. It probably saved my life, but I miss working in the library. Nonetheless, I am finding it very gratifying to work with students in Fergus and across the province on English, and especially creative writing.

Educational research has never meant more to me than it does now. As a classroom teacher I used to rely on the findings of the experts.   My current concerns are in transliteracy and participatory culture and how I can support staff and students to put thinking and learning first. Recently I was asked by IFLA and UNESCO to keynote in Buenos Aires on the success of shifting culture in the school library.  

As well, I am very curious about building participatory activities in my school that may include everything from collective intelligence to gaming to collective artworks to book clubs and special guests.

As an aside, I’m also the mom of a 15 year old, Max, who was diagnosed on the Autism spectrum in 2012.  As all kids do, his strengths and challenges oscillate as he grows and develops.  Along with strong interests in art, animation, sewing, computers and plants, I know that there are many changes for him on the horizon.  Being a parent, greatly influences my perceptions as an educator.

For a more complete curriculum vitae, please visit my LinkedIn profile.

The title of the blog Threadbare Beauty comes from a line in Adrienne Rich’s poem “Diving into the Wreck“.