Miami/The Ed Fund, FL  MetLife Fellows Bios

Maria Breen is a fourth grade teacher at Paul Lawrence Dunbar Elementary School where she has been for five years.  She has recently completed her master’s degree in Leadership in Curriculum and Instruction.  She is working towards becoming a National Board Certified Teacher.  To motivate her students in writing, she has created her own website.  Her students and parents love the communication it provides.  She believes communication is the key to successful education.

Peggy Cannis has been teaching for twenty-four years in Dade and Broward Counties in Florida.  She currently teaches first grade at Hollywood Central Elementary School.  She has a master’s degree in Educational Technology and a specialist’s degree in Brain Research.  She is also a National Board Certified teacher and was a district finalist for Teacher of the Year.

Daphne Conner has taught at Treasure Island Elementary School in North Bay Village, Florida for eighteen years.  She has a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Vanderbilt University as well as a master’s degree in teaching from the University of Florida.  In 2003, she became a National Board Certified teacher in Early Middle Childhood Art.  Her area of interest is in student assessment in the arts.

Deborah Cowfer has been teaching elementary aged children for eleven years.  She has taught in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Las Vegas, and is currently teaching in Hollywood, Florida.  She has recently earned her National Board Certification in 2005 in the area of Middle Childhood Generalist.  In her spare time she enjoys running and training for half-marathons.

Alma J. Major Dean has been an education for twenty-seven years. She is currently a school counselor although she is certified in elementary education, psychology, and school counseling.  She is currently working on her doctorate degree from Curtin University.  She has been recognized as Teacher of the Year three different times in her career and has been the Math and Science Teacher of the Year once.  She belongs to the Who’s Who in American Teachers group and has been the recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt AAUW Fellowship Grant.

Sherian Demetrius holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a master’s degree in Varying Exceptionalities. She is in her 7th year of teaching and is currently seeking National Board Ceritifcation. She has been recognized for her contributions to education including a CBS-4 Golden Apple Award in 2002 and the North Glade Elementary Teacher of the Year Award in 2003.

Dr. Jill Beloff Farrell, Advisor of TNLI for Miami/The Ed Fund, is the Director of Graduate Curriculum and Instruction and Elementary Education Programs at the Adrian Dominican School of Education for Barry University in Miami, Florida.

Johnnie Denese Farrington, educator for twenty-six years, is currently working for Miami-Dade Public Schools as a reading coach focusing on fourth grade. She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and mentally handicapped education and a master’s in reading (infancy to adulthood).She has been honored with several awards, grants, and international teaching assignments.  She has been awarded the Rookie Teacher of the Year Award and is a previous Teacher of the Year.

Peggy Gordon currently teaches pre-kindergarten at Biscayne Gardens Elementary School.  She has been teaching various grade levels for twenty-six years.  She has a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University.  She is especially interested in brain based learning.  She admittedly is a science and math geek.

Alice Epstein Graham is currently teaching fourth grade at Ojus Elementary School.  She has been teaching in Miami-Dade County Public Schools for twenty years.  Prior to teaching in Miami, she taught for five years in New York City Public Schools.  She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, a master’s degree in learning disabilities, and an educational specialist degree with a concentration in mathematics grades five through nine.  She is also a nationally board certified teacher in early childhood.

George Kirkman holds a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education.  He is a certified elementary education teacher and has an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) endorsement. He is currently in a co-teaching model, teaching fifth grade students reading and language arts at Ojus Elementary School in Miami-Dade County Public Schools.  George has taught for eighteen years and has been recognized as Teacher of the Year and Math Instructor of the Year.

Valerie Johnson Morris is a graduate of the University of Florida (Business Administration), Nova Southeastern University (MS-Mathematics Education) and Florida State University (Ed.S – Mathematics Education). She has served in several leadership positions at Campbell Drive Middle in Miami and currently is a Curriculum Support Specialist in the Beginning Teacher Program. She has been honored as a county Mathematics Teacher of the Year (2002) and has been awarded a Champions of Active Learning (CAL) grant. Because mathematics is the gateway to success in many employment fields, Valerie hopes to contribute to the body of research that encourages teachers to implement meaningful discovery lessons in their mathematics classes to improve students’ motivation, interest and academic success to the end that more students will pursue upper-level courses and careers in the field.

Angel Myers’s journey began in a small rural town in Mississippi.  She completed a nine year career in medicine when she decided to become a teacher.  She is currently in her eighth year of teaching.  She has earned certification in middle grades science, educational leadership, and is currently seeking vocational certification in Allied Health.  Memorable landmarks along her journey include earning a master’s degree in management and supervision of education programs, and receiving the Smart School Founder’s Award of Employee of the Year.  She is also currently participating in the Miami Dade County Superintendent’s Urban Principal Initiative.

Tangela Ramos has been a Miami Dade County Public School teacher for the past six years.  She currently teaches in the area of social science and has become an inspiration to numerous middle school students.  She enjoys implementing new and exciting activities in her classroom to provide a successful learning environment for all of her students.  She has both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Criminal Justice.

Jill Robert is currently in her sixth year of teaching various grades at the elementary school level.  She has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in elementary education with ESOL and gifted endorsements.  She is currently seeking National Board Certification

Caron Rose is currently a third grade teacher at Palm Springs North Elementary School in Florida.  She has been teaching for twelve years. She has a bachelor’s degree in education from Barry University and a master’s degree in education from the University of Miami.  She is also a Nationally Board Certified Teacher, was teacher of the Year in 2003, as well as a region finalist.  Recently she has become a board member for the National Board Certified Teachers of Miami Dade County.  She enjoys mentoring and co-teaching pre-candidacy courses for new National Board Certification candidates.

Mark Rosenkrantz, a National Board Certified teacher, has been teaching elementary art for nine years in Miami-Dade County Public Schools at Charles Wyche Elementary. He has received numerous grants for interdisciplinary art projects that are based on teacher collaboration.

Patricia J. Stephens is presently a second grade teacher at North Dade Center for Modern Languages.  She has taught for twelve years.  She has a master’s degree in elementary education from Barry University.  She holds certification in several areas including English grades 6-12, Elementary Education grades 1-5, and an ESOL endorsement.  In recognition of her efforts to guide students in a journey of lifelong learning through engaged and active learning, she has been the recipient of the Apple for the Teacher Award in 2005.  She was also awarded the Science Teacher of the Year Award in 2006.

Jemeica Taylor is a language arts and reading teacher at Brownsville Middle School.  She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, a master’s degree in reading, and a specialist’s degree in educational leadership.  She is certified in middle school English and has been teaching for six years.  She is also currently participating in the Miami Dade County Superintendent’s Urban Principal Initiative.

Patti Ward is a graduate of Barry University, with a Bachelor’s of Science.  She also has a master’s degree in Urban Education from Florida International University.  She has been teaching in Miami-Dade County for twenty-five years.  She has been selected four times for “Who’s Who of American Teachers” and has been the Chapter One teacher of the year.  She has been awarded grants from Cedar’s Medical Center, Adopt-a-Class, and Citibank.

Michael Weiss is currently teaching science to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students at Riviera Middle School.  He has been teaching in Dade County Public Schools for twenty-two years.  He is certified in physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, and gifted education.  He holds a degree in science education.  He presently serves on Riviera Middle School’s Leadership Team, Literacy Team, and EESAC committee.  He also coaches soccer, golf, and basketball for the school.