I am a high school English teacher who loves to read. I have been teaching high school for twelve years in Houston and Atlanta. I enjoy helping my students with college and scholarship essays and applications. I have helped fifteen of my students earn the Gates scholarship and have helped many others earn POSSE. I teach both AP Lit and AP Lang and love to analyze literature and rhetoric. I was teacher of the year this year and was a Yale National Teaching Fellow in both 2006 and 2008. I have a B.A. from the University of New Mexico in English Literature and an M.Ed. from Georgia State University in English Education. I am certified in secondary education English, ESL, gifted, and special ed. I am an unbelievably passionate teacher and work tirelessly to help every student reach their potential. I occasionally use kooky methods to reach my students (including singing and dancing) but my class is rarely boring and my students are ready for college when they leave me. I have been accused of being obsessed with the literary research paper, and I am guilty as charged. In my free time, I enjoy movies, theatre (especially Shakespeare), exercising, volunteering, and knitting.