I am so excited to continue teaching at Estes Hills Elementary this year! Estes is such a great place and I am glad to be back for my third year!
I grew up in Raleigh and Chapel Hill and actually went to middle school right next door at Phillips! I also went to boarding school for 2 years in High School at Salem Academy in Winston Salem, N.C. But, I missed Chapel Hill too much so I came home and finished High School at East Chapel Hill High! Go Wildcats!
After high school I took the big leap and went all the way to Colorado for college. The University of Colorado in Boulder is the most beautiful campus I have ever seen and it didn’t take much convincing for me to realize this was where I wanted to spend the next couple years! I graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Broadcast Journalism. One of the highlights of my college career was a semester abroad on Semester at Sea. I traveled to 13 countries, sailing around the world in only four months! I even met Fidel Castro…can you believe it?! In college I volunteered at our campus radio station, Radio 1190, in the news department. For a while, after I graduated, I thought I wanted to go into News Radio but instead I took another giant leap, all the way to Los Angeles, California to work in Advertising at Deutsch Inc. While advertising was a fun industry to work in, I found that working with kids in various volunteer activities was my true passion! I began to realize that teaching was the perfect way to work with children and make learning fun! I went back to get my Masters Degree in Education and my teaching credential at Pepperdine University and I just graduated in June 2007.
One of my most rewarding experiences was volunteering as a camp counselor at The Painted Turtle Camp in Lake Hughes, CA. The camp serves children suffering from life threatening illnesses and is one of the most amazing places I have ever witnessed. I learned so much about life through this organization!
I am thrilled to be back home in the great state of North Carolina and I am even more excited to work at such a great school in such a fabulous grade level…of course, 4th!
In my free time, I try to get outside as much as possible. Anything from skiing to scuba diving is the perfect way to enjoy the outdoors! I am also an avid traveler, having been to over 40 countries and six continents! I hope my travels around the world will open my students eyes to the millions of possibilities that exist for them outside of our small (but wonderful) community. I also love listening to all types of music. I believe music is also important in the classroom, and I try to incorporate it into my students’ learning. And of course, I am a huge animal lover, specifically for dogs. I have a nine year old Golden Retriever named Hannah who is probably the most amazing dog in the world. (Ok I am a little biased).
In my classroom, I promote an atmosphere of safety, trust, and respect. I will make learning fun and hands on, and work to build a real sense of community among my students. All year long I will emphasize the concept of teamwork and cooperation both in my classroom and as I work with my peers. I believe that great things can happen when we work together and I hope to convey this idea with the students in their daily life! Estes Hills creates an excellent learning community, which is evident in both the students and the staff.
Please feel free to Email Me!
Check out the school where I became a teacher! Pepperdine was amazing!
Meet Ms. Virginia I too grew up right here in The Triangle area. I went to elementary school in Durham, middle school right across town at Culbreth, and high school at Chapel Hill High. After CHHS I attended Wofford College and got my Bachelors of Arts in Sociology. Wofford is a small liberal arts school of only 1,100 students in Spartanburg, SC. The small school experience was just right for me. One of the things that makes Wofford so special is the 4-1-4 schedule. Each January all students participate in Interim, a month focusing on a single study project. Interim allows students to think beyond traditional classroom courses. My sophomore year I spent the month learning to scuba dive and traveling to Bonaire to dive in some of the most amazing reefs on earth. Junior year I traveled abroad to Florence, Italy and took an Italian language class. Senior year I stayed on campus and learned to sew which has proved to be a very valuable skill. In my free time I like to be with friends and family, travel, go shopping, take walks with my dog (Molly), and just relax. Please feel free to Email Me! |
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Hi everyone! This is my third year at Estes Hills and my second year working with Ms. Coleman. We are clearly a match made in heaven! I started working at Estes to get some experience in education and as a break between undergraduate and graduate school. I planned to stay for one year but I just love it too much to leave.