After an enriching decade of teaching 4th and 5th graders in New Jersey, I packed my bags 13 years ago and headed west to start a fresh and beautiful life in the open vistas of New Mexico.  My life here has had all the components of the adventure I longed for at that time.  Since then, I have taught all the grades between Kindergarten and 8th grade in public, charter, and private schools. School settings have ranged from a small 2-room mountain school of 19 students, to a city school of nearly 600.  One can thrive as a teacher, and today we have opportunities that challenge our creative thinking with a myriad of approaches available for nourishing learning in our classrooms!