Work of Heart Educational Services

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I help elementary and middle school leaders ignite student engagement and increase ELA & Math mastery in grades 3-8 by designing innovative, drama-infused learning experiences.

08/29/2026

The results are in. I used an arts-integrated activity to teach the concept of percentages to my 6th graders on Friday.

"Drama" and "math class" aren't words people expect to hear in the same sentence. Two weeks ago, a packed room proved th...
07/18/2026

"Drama" and "math class" aren't words people expect to hear in the same sentence. Two weeks ago, a packed room proved they should be.

The dramatic side of me and the educator in me were never separate. As an elementary teacher, I had students read literature passages using different character voices, bringing the story to life instead of letting it sit flat on the page. I acted out abstract concepts so they could see the math, not just hear it. And years later, as a middle school math coach, I sponsored an afterschool club for learning math through drama. I've always found ways to teach through theatrics.

Two weeks ago, I got to share that work publicly for the first time — my first ever conference session, "The Dramatic Effect: Reigniting Math Engagement Through Drama," at a conference hosted by the Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM. The room was full, and that alone told me something: this isn't just an approach that matters to me. It matters to other educators too.

The feedback afterward made that even clearer. Attendees wanted more. More time. More examples. More opportunities to practice. And more than one person said some version of the same thing: teaching math through drama opens the door for learners who never connected with a traditional approach.

Sitting in on other sessions revealed even more. Educators are applying arts integration in different ways, across every subject and grade band. Every room I walked into showed me a different angle on the same core idea: the arts aren't separate from rigorous learning. They're a way into it.

That's the whole reason I do this work.
Not to make math "fun" as decoration,
but to give more students a way to access learning.

Grateful to everyone who showed up, stayed after, and pushed the conversation further.

This was my first session, but it will not be my last. My second one happened exactly seven days later...

07/08/2026

That's a wrap!

I’m so excited to be presenting at the national conference being held by The Institute for Arts Integration & STEAM this...
06/24/2026

I’m so excited to be presenting at the national conference being held by The Institute for Arts Integration & STEAM this July in St. Louis!🎉

If you’re passionate about integrating the arts into your classroom, this is where you need to be. FIFTY people have already added my session to their schedule!

Don't miss your opportunity to be in the room.🎉

Join me 👉 https://artsintegrationconference.com

I’m thrilled to be presenting at this year in Orlando! I'm using my experience as a math educator and coach to help ad...
06/18/2026

I’m thrilled to be presenting at this year in Orlando!

I'm using my experience as a math educator and coach to help administrators support strong math instruction in their schools. Hope to see you there!

Let’s grow and learn together as we level up our educational leadership.

May is National Teaching Artist Month—a time to recognize artists who bring their craft into learning spaces, not just t...
05/01/2026

May is National Teaching Artist Month—a time to recognize artists who bring their craft into learning spaces, not just to create, but to develop students, build community, and make the arts accessible where they’re often missing.

I became a teaching artist in 2014 when I started working with Orlando Family Stage (formerly the Orlando Repertory Theatre), teaching creative drama camps during the summer.

Each week had a theme that needed experiences designed to match it.

Not just activities to keep students busy, but opportunities for them to:
🎭 tell stories
🎭 make creative choices
🎭 take risks in front of others and
🎭 commit to something they created

Some weeks were production camps.

Students in grades 3–8 learned a junior version of a popular play in 5 days—and performed it that Saturday.

Yes. Five days.

In those camps, I served as an assistant director, working alongside other teaching artists to push students to:
make intentional choices in their roles
work together as an ensemble
and turn their ideas into characters and storylines

By the end of the week, they didn’t just perform.
They showed their parents what they had built over time.

Here’s what often gets overlooked—many students don’t have consistent access to performing arts experiences in school, especially before middle school.

For some, these spaces are the first time they are asked to create, interpret, and express in this way.

That opportunity isn’t extra.
It’s needed.

Because performing arts isn’t just about performance.

It’s about:
🏁 decision-making
🏁 perspective-taking
🏁 collaboration
🏁 expression and
🏁 the confidence to be seen and heard

That’s the role of a teaching artist.
Not to entertain.
Not to fill time.

But to design experiences where creativity becomes thinking—and thinking becomes something students can actually do.

That foundation is still in my work today.
i design learning experiences where students don’t just solve math problems, they interpret them, step into them, and make sense of them—
so academic learning isn’t separate from expression and creativity, but strengthened by it.

WHAT AN UPSET!! South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball vs UCLA Bruins women's basketball has everyone talking right...
04/06/2026

WHAT AN UPSET!!

South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball vs UCLA Bruins women's basketball has everyone talking right now— and for good reason.

Who honestly believed that UCLA would DEMOLISH South Carolina in the NCAA finals to win their first-ever NCAA title!?

I meeeeaaaann...

They won that game with very little fight from their opponent.
A team that had never been to the finals found a way to overcome a team that has been dominant and had won championships in the past.

And we celebrate that.

That's what I call resilience.
Grit.
Earned victory.

Now, in general, we love a good upset in sports. A Cinderella story, if you will.

But in classrooms?
We don’t plan for those.

There are students sitting in our rooms right now who are capable of an upset.

Students who haven’t been the “top performers.”
Students who haven’t been labeled as “advanced.”
Students who are still building understanding.
Students who are waiting to earn their FIRST proficient score.

But here’s the problem: How many teachers plan for them to win?

We plan for the students who already “get it.”
We review in ways that reinforce what’s already known.
We prioritize coverage over growth.

So the question is: Who is your final championship (state testing review) actually designed for?

The students who are already performing?
Or the ones who are one breakthrough away?

Because upsets don’t happen by accident.
They happen when preparation meets opportunity.

If you’re ready to plan your review in a way that actually positions more students for that breakthrough, I have a few 1:1 test review planning sessions available this month.

Comment "Breakthrough" to get on the books.

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Lockhart, FL
32810

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