I graduated from Washington State University in 1989 with a BA in Chicano Studies and then graduated again in 1990 with a BA in Elementary Education, following student teaching experiences in Toppenish, WA (grade 3) and Port Orchard, WA (middle school). I began my teaching career in Nogales, Arizona in first grade. While living in Tucson, I also taught 3rd grade and k-5 special education. At night, I worked on a MA in Special Education. I returned to eastern Washington in 1995; I worked for the first two years as an education instructor and inservice instructor for WSU. Following that, I spent three years working as a resource room teacher in Spokane, WA. Just prior to moving to this area in 2007, I lived and worked in Colfax, WA as an ASL and Spanish teacher/new teacher mentor/WASL coordinator/staff development specialist for 7 years. This year, 2018, is the beginning of my 29th year in public education.