The Katherine Institute’s mission is to cultivate principled, self-reliant thinkers capable of pursuing their own interests and dreams.

The Katherine Institute exists because children deserve better. The academic outcomes of public schools, charter schools, and digital academies are unacceptable, and too many students pass through classrooms without mastering the skills required to experience independence, prosperity, and the freedom to shape their own futures. At The Katherine Institute, we provide families and students a sanctuary where excellence is the standard, achievement and success are the goals, and dreams can be realized. Our facility is free from distractions, dangerous student behaviors and school environments, and ineffective classroom instruction that either leaves children far behind or locks them in frustrated boredom.

I bring a combination of elite education, extensive real-world teaching experience, business expertise, and uncompromising standards. I spent fifteen years (Preschool through 12th Grade) at The Barstow School, Kansas City’s top-ranked private school and a respected independent institution nationwide. That experience built the foundation of rigor, discipline, and high expectations that defines everything I do.

I also have over a decade of public-school experience at both the elementary and high school levels, including eight years in Title I environments where the realities are harsh and the stakes are enormous. I’ve seen exactly what happens when the system fails children, and I know precisely what those students need to succeed.

My undergraduate degree in business administration, earned at a private university in Missouri, makes me uniquely equipped to provide younger learners with real-world business education, financial literacy, and economic reasoning. I am licensed in Missouri as both an elementary (1-6) and secondary (business 9-12) educator, and I integrate the strengths of both fields into the learning environment.

Above all, I am competent, engaging, confident, and deeply invested in student growth. I also bring over a decade of experience with A–Z Learning, Discovery Education, and i-Ready, so I understand exactly what students in KC-metro area districts are receiving, what they’re missing, and how to fill those gaps effectively.

One of the clearest indicators of my impact is student attendance. In Title I schools, where chronic absenteeism is the norm and classrooms often sit half-empty, my students consistently maintained 95%+ attendance. Kids showed up because they wanted to be there. My teaching style is engaging, consistent, and genuinely humorous in a way that makes hard work feel achievable and the classroom feel stable. Humor builds connection, consistency builds trust, and engagement builds momentum. Together, The Katherine Institute creates a learning environment children don’t want to miss.

I have a proven record of producing real academic growth in environments where it almost never happens. I moved 52% of my Title I students out of the Below Basic category on state testing and helped students who started two or more grade levels behind make multi-year gains in ability year after year.