About | YEC

You inspire your child to be their best every day –- To eat healthier, play outside, clean up after themselves, and take showers. You also encourage them to try their best at school, all the while trying to aid them in this pursuit -- but it’s hard to advocate for your child when you aren’t sure of the right path yourself.

When my children began school, I struggled to understand the school and education systems. There were policies, laws, and unwritten rules governing options; school choices to navigate; and a ridiculous number of acronyms (GT, IEP, 504, BIP, ESY, ELL, IDEA) to learn. And on top of these basic understandings, if my child struggled with academics, attendance, or behavior, the system and resources available seemed even more daunting. However, after more than a decade of teaching in local schools, advocating for countless students, and earning a doctorate in education, I have learned ways to help my children and yours access the right education, resources, and support to be their best in school.

I often field questions from friends and acquaintances asking:

How do I decide on which school to send my children?
Is a charter better than our neighborhood school?
My child is not doing well academically; what should I do?
I can’t get my child to go to school; he/she says they don’t feel well?
Do my kids really need to take the standardized test, or should I just opt them out?

While Googling these questions may lead you to books, newsletters, webinars, and articles helping you answer these questions, sometimes you just want to hear the answer from someone you know, trust, and who has been in your shoes and on the other side in the classroom. The goal of this blog is to help you answer the questions you ponder, to aid you in understanding the unwritten rules governing schools, and navigate the available resources for your child through knowledgeable and relatable advice. By serving as YOUR educational advocate, I will help you grow in knowledge and confidence to advocate for your child’s education.

5 Things About Me

I began teaching in a charter school, which helped me learn the ins and outs of the charter school system in Colorado. After my time there, I worked at a traditional urban high school and then a large suburban high school. These two drastically different experiences give perspective on what types of schools might best fit different types of students. My last five years of teaching were at a district-level center for students who have been expelled, truant, or at risk of either. Through this experience, I gained a deep understanding of SpecialEd services, drop-out prevention framework, truancy interventions, and more.

I have four children and this school year, all four will attend different schools, which are in two separate school districts. My children have attended public neighborhood and charter schools and have enrolled out of the district in choice schools. Among all my children they have struggled academically (one is on an IEP and one a 504), excelled academically but struggled with motivation, been truant, and visited the principal's office regularly. I truly get how trying and exhausting parenting while also trying to navigate the schools can be.

I earned my doctorate in Education Equity from the University of Colorado-Denver with a focus on executive leadership. My dissertation focused on disproportionality in secondary students' expulsions and out-of-school suspensions in a suburban Colorado school district.

With a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism, I began my career as an English teacher. While in this, I developed, implemented, and nationally presented an integrated Social Emotional Learning and literature curriculum for high-risk students at one of the nation’s largest school districts. I also serve on the Pop Culture Classroom's Annual Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards Advisory Board, helping to select the best and most educational graphic novels for all levels of readers.

I truly believe that education is what can help propel individuals forward, but if access to quality education is hindered that won't happen. That is why helping other parents advocate for their child is my passion. When a parent doesn't know what they don't know, the classroom, school, and system can feel overwhelming, which is why I'm here to help.