Samantha McBurney

I was born and raised in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. I moved to Queens, New York to attend St John's University for both my undergraduate and masters degrees. While there I was an active member of Gamma Phi Beta, Student Government and the Panhellenic Council. I also met my wonderful husband Patrick, which landed me in Rhode Island (his home state) which is where we currently reside and where my teaching career began. I started as a day to day substitute and then spent a year as a long term substitute in a 4th grade classroom and a 2nd grade classroom. The 17-18 school year is my second year at a new elementary school as a 4th grade teacher with an ESL room. This was another new shift for me after one year in the middle school. I started ESL classes and working with a new population of students that opened my mind to a whole new thought process as a teacher. I will finish my coursework to earn my certificate in ESL this December. In the process, I also welcomed my first child. The 14-15 school year was the first year I had my own 1st grade classroom. I was then moved to be a 6th grade math teacher in a middle school. Middle school is something I determined was just not for me, I love being in the elementary school. When I am not in my classroom or thinking about my classroom, I love arts and crafts, thank you Pinterest! I love running, hiking and just being active. Since I have been able to reach the kitchen counter standing on a stool, I have been baking and that passion is still very alive today. I LOVE to travel and have had the opportunity to visit Mexico, England, Greece, Amsterdam, Scotland, Canada, South Africa and more. Many of these trips involved volunteering with children which is something else that really drives me as a person.