Recently retired, I was a high school English teacher for 31 years with a strong background in Theatre Arts. I earned my B.A. from SUNY Stony Brook and my M.A. from New York University. I have taught all levels of high school English from 10th grade Inclusion through 12 AP Literature and Composition. I’m a big proponent of reading aloud, and frequently use a Readers Theatre approach to teaching literature. I also enjoy teaching all kinds of writing, and in fact, I myself still write. In addition to receiving a Norman Mailer Creative Writing Award from the NCTE, I was honored as a NYSEC New York State Teacher of Excellence. And yet, as I’m writing this biography, my mind is thinking all the while, “Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Helping students succeed, not only in the classroom but in life, has been one of my greatest rewards.