Our Faculty and Staff

I have been in school administration since 2012 and am currently working toward completing my Ed.D. in Educational Leadership.  I am a big proponent of a well-rounded education that includes an emphasis on related arts and character education.  I love my job because I get to lead great people in making a difference in the lives of our students.

I am a graduate of Ball State University with a B.S. in Communication Studies-business and a Minor in Voice Performance. I worked in Adult Education for many years, co-owned a consulting firm and joined Burris Laboratory School in 2015. I love systems and operations and thrive on finding new and efficient ways to enhance performance.

A Burris parent prior to becoming staff, I wanted to find a way to give back to the school community. The aide position allows me to help both faculty and students work toward academic success.

I am in my 15th year of teaching.  This is my 5th year at Burris.  I have taught in all grades 1 through 6.

I have taught in a variety of settings – from an after-school program for at-risk kids to a small town junior/senior high school, and now Burris Laboratory School. No matter where I teach my goal is the same, to create lifelong learners who value the written word and think deeply about what they are reading, who are able to communicate their thoughts and opinions with clarity and conviction through writing and speaking, and are prepared to contribute to the conversation in the world around them.

I hold a B.A. in English Education & Theatre Education from Ball State University and a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management from IUPUI. In addition to teaching in public schools, I have created and facilitated theatre programming for a variety of schools and nonprofits in the greater Indianapolis area.

My desire to engage, challenge, and inspire growth in my students is not limited to the classroom. It is my goal to share with my students the awe and excitement, as well as the dedication and hard work that comes along with continued education to advance into a position that can continue to make a difference in the lives of many children. I hold myself to the same standards that I hold my students. That is, I strive to become a skilled thinker and learner, and I believe that this process is life-long.

Teaching Spanish is exciting! I enjoy interacting with students. I always feel inspired by my students’ drive. I believe in a flexible approach of instruction, where students are encouraged to evaluate, interpret, and apply their new foreign language skills and cultural knowledge beyond the surface level.

I hold a master’s degree in Counseling, Educational Psychology, and a certificate in High Ability Education. I have several years of experience of counseling in both the school and private practice setting. Though I work with students of all ages at Burris, I have a passion for elementary and high ability students. I have a heart for meeting students where they are emotionally, socially, and academically; I am dedicated to helping them grow and develop their skills in these areas.

I have been an educator for 20 years, teaching at primary, upper elementary, and university levels. The majority of my career has been spent in elementary grades 1 and 2 teaching high ability and general education students at several schools in Muncie.

I teach both Health and Physical Education from a wellness standpoint emphasizing the whole person. I currently coach Volleyball (assistant), Ladies Basketball, and Track and Field.

I have been an elementary educator for 19 years with experience in second and third grades. I have an undergraduate degree from Indiana University and a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from Ball State.

Books and technology are my passion. I believe that when students are given the ability to explore what is of interest to them in a structured but open classroom, the sky is the limit!

I am a graduate of Indiana State University with B.A. in Music Education. I have been an educator for 18 years and have taught Choral, Band, Orchestra and Elementary classes in my tenure. I enjoy playing piano professionally in different bands in Central Indiana and am grateful for my wife of 10 years, Tiffany, and my daughter Viola. I believe that embracing music will create a lifelong joy and discipline in all facets of life.

I have taught 5th grade for seventeen years. In my classroom, students “own their own learning” by engaging in hands-on experiences as often as possible.

I love teaching middle school language arts. I am licensed in English, Speech Communication, Theater, and High Ability Education. I am pursuing a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Educational Technology. My professional interests include project based learning, high ability education, curriculum writing and development, instructional coaching and staff development, and school culture.

This is my fifth year teaching at Burris. I love working with all of the Burris students and I probably enjoy the adventures that we go on the most. Seeing students in different environments such as Camp Crosley, Japan, Conner Prairie, the statehouse, or even at events on campus reminds me how special our school is.  Burris is an example of education in action and I am so proud to be a part of that.

I have completed my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, both in Speech-Language Pathology, at Ball State University. I began working at Burris in 2016. My job as the speech-language pathologist at Burris is so rewarding!  I thoroughly enjoy getting to know my students on an individual and small group basis. I love to see my students gain confidence when they are able to communicate more effectively as we work together to improve their speech and language skills.

Since joining the Burris Faculty in 2014 as a member of the Mathematics Department, I have loved being in an environment where students and faculty support and encourage each other through both struggles and successes! Some of my most rewarding experiences in teaching have been watching students push through their mental block when it comes to understanding mathematical concepts. It is a privilege to be a part of the moment when a student realizes they can put into practice the skills we have learned together to solve what used to be an unsolvable problem, building confidence in their own abilities.

I have taught Social Studies to grades 7-12 for 12 years; this is my third at Burris Laboratory School. I enjoy reading mysteries and history books, traveling and spending time with my husband, Nick and two children, Vivian, 9 and Henry, 5.

I have been a teacher at Burris since August 1999. I believe it is important for students to be able to construct their knowledge about mathematics.

My students are rewarded for effort, process, and progress and not correctness, and are encouraged to aspire to understand versus being understood. The Spanish language and culture instruction aims to affect the learner to progress from being a local citizen to that of a self-actualized, global, bilingual citizen who is empathetic to other cultures, races, genders, religions, economic inequality, and political perspectives beyond the local environment.

I received both my undergraduate and graduate degrees from Ball State University. I have been teaching for 20 years.  In that time, I have taught first grade, third grade, fourth grade, and fifth grade. In addition, I have been a primary grade intervention teacher.

I have been teaching visual arts for 18 years. I am honored to teach students from grades K-12 visual communication and to work closely with the David Owsley Museum of Art.

Clouds, weather, space exploration, geology, cells, body systems, and so many more science topics have become my new curriculum to teach. Teaching middle school science has been a great fit for me to share my excitement of learning and exploring the world around us. I have enjoyed getting to know and relate to the middle school students.

I am driven to be innovative in the teaching process. I am certified in Orton Gillingham, a reading approach that helps students understand how to read and spell. I look for ways to make learning fun and I love seeing those moments in my students’ faces when they are in awe of what they can do.