After being certified as a teacher through a program at the University of Georgia, I began my teaching career at Oconee County Middle School in 2006.  I taught for ten years in the sixth-grade teaching Study Skills, Language Arts, Math, and Science classes.  Since then, I have taught Read 180 and seventh-grade language arts.  My drive to teach reading began with my love of books.  I read more than 75 books per year of all genres. Since 2016, I have been teaching seventh grade students language arts and I absolutely love it!  In May 2019, I completed my master's of education program in Accomplished Teaching in Curriculum and Instruction from Valdosta State University.  It was the culmination of a life-long dream for me which allowed me to further increase my understanding of how children learn and how to craft lessons to help them maximize learning.  Currently, I am finishing an online learning endorsement to better help me craft digital lessons for my students and to assist me in my role as a leader in the county in the area of the English Language Arts Action Team which makes the learning modules inside of the ITS Learning, a learning management system for students, using the Collections digital resources purchased by the county.  I believe in modeling a love of learning for my students and this is why I continue to improve my skills as their teacher.

    On a personal note, I am married to Hermon, a retired Navy and Navy Reserves combat pilot and current Delta Airlines pilot, and together we have three children: Julianna, Jacqueline, and Ryan.   My children are grown and are in college themselves at Auburn University and Mississippi State University.  My husband and I enjoy our time at our farm where we have Boer goats, a horse, cats, and one dog, Raider.  We love to travel, hike, watch college sports, and spend time together as a family.

The Cook Family