Hi, My name is Dianne Larson. I teach APEX at Rivercrest Elementary. I live in Millington with my sister, Peggy. I have 2 children. My son Christopher is a store manager. He recently got married and the wedding was held in my back yard last October. My daughter is Mary Elizabeth Washburn. She teaches music here at Rivercrest! Her daughter is Wesley Washburn who attends pre-k, here in Ms. Singerella's room. We are 3 generations of Redbirds! I graduated from U of M, got a Master's from MTSU and achieved my plus 30 level of education above Master's. I got my gifted certification from MTSU. Shelby County Schools have been my home for 27 years. During my career I have taught at Woodstock, Millington Elementary, Lucy , Elmore Park Middle and Rivercrest. Most of my career was in the regular classroom. I have been in gifted education for 7 years. I love teaching and my students. I cannot think of a better career than teaching. Every day is an adventure! Outside of school I love gardening every summer. I am an avid reader of all kinds of literature. Traveling has always been a big part of my life. As a child, I visited every state except Hawaii. We stayed in campgrounds all over this great nation and favored National Parks, mountains ranges and other places with no modern conveniences! This is possibly where my love of maps and globes comes from. I was the designated navigator from a young age. This love of geography led me to join the Tennessee Geographic Alliance many years ago. Through this non-profit group I received many wonderful hours of professional development in geography education and the opportunity to spend one summer training at the National Geographic Society in Washington D.C.