Mentors

I have been an online mentor with eLearn Virginia for several years. My Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and Business Education is from Virginia Intermont College. Currently, I work with students at the Russell County Alternative Center, in Southwest Virginia, teaching an array of technology classes. Over the years, I've been a part of the success stories of numerous eLearners, and I hope to add you to that list. I really enjoy online learning and look forward to working with you.

I am a Pre-GED teacher at a prison in central Virginia. I also taught GED classes to at-risk high school students for three years. About 92% of my students who have taken the GED Test have passed it.

I studied psychology and sociology as an undergraduate and have a master’s degree in education from the University of Virginia. I have taught adults in a variety of settings. I taught older adults in a wellness program at UVA for eight years, did much staff training and development as a manager with the Marriott Corporation for eight years, taught thousands of people of all ages while a full-time instructor for the American Red Cross for three years, and provided training about Alzheimer’s Disease to professional caregivers at retirement communities and nursing homes.

All of these experiences have helped me be a better GED teacher. I love teaching the variety of subjects that are on the GED Test and I love the fact that the test requires people to think. Learning to think helps, not only on the GED Test, but in life as well.

I am a graduate of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Safety and Health and a Master of Science degree in Vocational Industrial Education and thirty-six hours in Counselor Education. I have worked at Davidson Community College as a Basic Skills Instructor and worked with Danville Public Schools as an adult education teacher and coordinator with the Danville Redevelopment Housing Authority. In addition, I served as the Staff Development Specialist for the Danville Adult Education Center. Currently, I am the Director of the Nova Academy, a nontraditional 21 credit hour graduation program for high school at-risk students.  I have been a member of VAACE for three years serving as the awards chairperson and secretary. I have conducted presentations on adults and stress management in various locations including Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia.

In Reflections on the Human Condition(New York: HarperCollins, 1972, p. 32) Eric Hoffer stated: “In times of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves beautifully equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.” Hoffer’s comment reflects my own beliefs about the importance of being a lifelong learner and summarizes what I think is “the remedy” for coping with our dramatically changing world. I am heartened by the number of people who want to fit education into their busy lives through the use of alternative resources like elearn. It is gratifying work to assist students as they feel the tension of going through a learning curve and to watch them make their way towards a valuable credential, the GED.

In addition to my mentoring work with elearn, I teach high school English in Richmond and am working on an Ed.S. in Reading Education through the University of Virginia. My formal education also includes a Bachelor’s Degree from Kent State University in Education, and a Master’s Degree in English from Virginia Commonwealth University. In my leisure time, I tend to my cats and sometimes foster others until they are placed in permanent homes.