Hey there, I’m Dr. Bird!
teacher, mother, NoNI, reader, WRITER, hugger
In third grade, I knew that I would go to college and become a teacher. I did not know that before becoming a teacher I would work at a grocery store for 13 years, have three children, and receive a life transforming scholarship.
The Grow Your Own Teacher scholarship allowed me to stop taking university classes one at a time and be a fulltime college student. I was 28-years-old, recently divorced, and had an 8-year-old, a 5-year-old, and a 2-year-old. I struggled as a single mother/fulltime college student/nearly fulltime Dillons employee but with my parents’ and friends’ help graduated from Wichita State University with a bachelor’s degree in English education.
John Marshall Middle School was my first teaching assignment: seventh grade Language Arts. From Marshall I went to Safe & Drug Free Schools as a violence and drug prevention-teaching specialist. I received my master’s degree and began teaching university classes at Baker and graduate classes at Wichita State University.
The next step in my USD 259 career was entering adult alternative education; I always loved being a teacher but now had found my perfect niche. For the remainder of my 27-year career I helped adults who had previously dropped out return to school and earn a fully accredited high school diploma. While teaching at the Urban League Learning Center, I began pursuing a doctorate degree. I earned a PhD from Kansas State University in 2012. At the time of my May 2020 retirement, I was the director of the Chester Lewis Adult Learning Center.
Now, in addition to private tutoring, I am also the assistant director of Friendship Fields at Friends University. It is a university program for special needs adults. Teaching is not a job to me; it is a vocation, a passion, and a lifestyle.
I hope you will help me start a new chapter in my life as we work together to achieve your educational goals.
The Real Scoop!
A few more things about me…
27+
Years of experience
2000+
former students
20+
graduations
testimonials about me and my work
Kind words bloom like flowers
One of the rewards of teaching is the positive comments from students who are working toward a goal AND from those who have achieved their dreams. Other blessings come from co-workers, past and present.