Our ASL teacher and female football coach was named after the Ursa Major/Ursa Minor star. Ursa means a little female bear and she is bearish in her contributions here at TSD. She calls herself a proud “Texaylander" because she was born in Maryland, and raised as a Texan while attending Texas School for the Deaf as a student but followed her parents back to Maryland where she graduated from Maryland School for the Deaf.
She has a Bachelor Degree in Communication Studies and a Master’s degree in Sign Language Teaching/Education from Gallaudet University. She worked at Maryland School for the Deaf, as an ASL teacher for several departments (Family Education & Early Childhood, Elementary, and Middle School) before becoming a HS ASL Teacher. She also teaches American Sign Language at a community college and at Gallaudet University. She is also the first deaf female football coach nationwide and at TSD and we're proud of her!
She believes that students are a gift and possess diverse talents and capabilities. She considers it a privilege to help facilitate their learning and academic growth. She also believes each student learns in their own way and style. As such she strives to provide a brave/safe and nurturing environment where each student can have the opportunity to experience success and progress. It is her goal to help encourage my students to look beyond the four walls of our classroom and view the world around them as a place of learning and discovery. By doing this, she hope to instill in them a desire to become lifelong learners.
