Born: August 16th in Madison, WI - I grew up right outside of Madison in a small town called Cottage Grove.

Education: Graduated from UW-Madison with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education and a minor in Sports Medicine. During my time at the UW, I worked as a trainer with the Badger football and basketball teams assessing and treating practice and game injuries, taping hundreds of ankles and hands, and assisting with the rehabilitation of athletic injuries.

For some reason, as far back as I can remember, I have always known that I wanted to teach Physical Education so it made the path I chose very easy. Something that was a positive influence on me was my parents. They are both very active and athletic and very dedicated individuals. My father played baseball for over 20 years so I basically grew up on the diamond and was always surrounded by sports. But life wasn't just sports - academics and grades were very important and even graduating from college was expected in my family before getting married and starting a family. Cal Ripken's (my favorite baseball player) great accomplishment was very meaningful to me - it basically expresses the values that my family has tried to instill in me - family, health, fitness and dedication and I hope to pass those values on to my children.

My teaching philosophy is to provide a variety of physical activities to help all students acquire knowledge, skills, and positive attitudes toward themselves and others that will enable them to maintain a health and fitness level to function effectively in todays society. I believe students should have the opportunity to create, examine and uncover their potential for movement. As students get older the accent shifts toward appropriate body mechanics, physical fitness, and developmental skills. Along with skill developments in sports, knowledge of game rules and teamwork advance. I don't believe P.E. is a time to "let off steam", each class period has specific goals and objectives. Self esteem, respect for oneself and others is a must in my classes. Children need to become thinkers and problem solvers and understand concepts and choices. I want to give the children a "taste" of everything in hopes that they may find that certain sport or activity that sparks them into a lifetime of action and physical fitness.

Hobbies: SPORTS, of course! Any kind!  I play in a volleyball league during the summer, and I also added walking to my activities. I have a pedometer and my goal is to walk 10,000 steps a day!  When I'm not actually participating, I love watching all types of sporting events. Much of my time is taken up through my children's sporting events - football, track, softball and a lot of volleyball!

Family:  I am married (24 years in October) to Tony who works for the Wisconsin Dept. of Justice as a Special Agent/Deputy Fire Marshal. I have two children, Roman (a Junior at UW- Milwaukee.) and Rachel (a Sophomore at Northern Michigan University).