ArtI was born and raised in Tyler, Texas. I went to Dixie Elementary, A.T. Stewart Junior High, and John Tyler High School. I was the editor of the Lions’ Tale. After high school, I went to Tyler Junior College and The University of Texas at Tyler. I graduated with honors. I earned an Associate of Arts Degree, a Bachelor of Science degree in math and art, and a Masters’ Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies—art, journalism, and English. I have specializations in art, math, all level, ESL, and bilingual education.
I love school. I have been teaching for 28 years!!! I have taught from Pre-K to 8th graders. I taught in middle school for 13 years, before moving to elementary school to teach Bilingual Education and Art. I love to draw and to write. I have one published book called Plotting Pictures and I have illustrated countless books—one of the most popular being a BlueBonnet book called Monsters, Monsters by Valerie Childress.
I have a husband, named Jimmy, who teaches Biological Sciences at Tyler Junior College. I have a daughter, named Katie, who studies at Robert E. Lee High School, where she is a 10th grader in the I.B. Program.
I believe that I was inspired to teach by my Ma-Ma Blundell, who saved papers, old catalogues, and made flour-glue for me. She would let me “play” on her old pedal sewing machine and use her big bag of scrap materials to create new purses and stuffed splatipusses. Ma-ma could draw wonderful pictures of roses. My other grandmother, Mom-ma Horton was famous, with us grandkids, for her drawings of pigs.
The children at Douglas Elementary School are precious, and I love every minute of teaching them.
