I hail from a small town just north of the water capital of the world, the Wisconsin Dells. As a child I loved all things music and fell deeply in love with Disney musical cartoons. In high school I joined the band as a flautist but singing has always been my true passion, so I joined the choir. As a high school student, I had the honor of going on a tour of Europe with my choir. While in high school I had to make the decision of what to do with my life. Should I go for marine biology and live in Florida with the manatees or should I follow the song in my heart. Well, as you guessed I ended up studying music. I graduated from University of Wisconsin-Platteville (go Pioneer Pete and Go Badgers) with majors in General Music Education for K-12 and Choral Education grades 6-12. Once I graduated and after a small Quaver Rest I landed in Northwest Indiana and took over a temporary teaching position in Merrillville. After that assignment was over I looked far and near for my permanent home and found Bailly Elementary. I have been teaching at Bailly since 2005. I love helping my kiddos learn that music is not just a pretty melody but it also teaches you timing, it allows you to feel emotions more deeply and can reduce anxiety, improve concentration, mental alertness, and memory. Just think about all those moments in your life that you associate a certain song with that certain feeling

Other than helping young minds learn how the arts can help them in life I enjoy spending time with my family. My husband and I have been married since 2008 and have a son in 5th grade, two dogs named for Harry Potter characters (Lily and Gryff), a cat named for a cracker (Graham) and a turtle that is old enough to vote called Scoop. In my spare time I enjoy being outside at the beach, hiking, traveling to places much warmer than Indiana, and watching movies.

After completing a degree at Valparaiso University, I started my career teaching visual arts at St. Pat's in Chesterton. After teaching visual arts for several years in South Bend at K-8th Catholic schools, I had the opportunity to return to the area. I continued my teaching career as an elementary visual arts teacher at Bailly Elementary. My past experiences include volunteering at The Art Institute of Chicago and as a visual arts instructor during the summer through the Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City.  I love to learn and take advantage of educational opportunities offered through The Art Institute of Chicago and Oriental Institute Museum. Outside of school, I like to spend time hiking, gardening, and reading. I enjoy spending part of my summer traveling through the state of Michigan. 

Ms. Long's Classroom

I started in education as a middle school social studies teacher, in Indianapolis, after graduating from Butler University.  After a couple of years, I left that position to get my Masters in Library Science from Indiana University.  The library was my happy place while I was in school and I was excited to learn a job that fit my love of reading and teaching children.  While in library school, I had the opportunity to sub and intern at the elementary level.  The second I set foot in the Bailly Library, I knew it was where I wanted to be!

I have been the library media specialist at Bailly since 2005.  I love reading to students, encouraging their love for books, teaching the research process, and teaching coding (computer programing). My husband is also a teacher and we have three children.  I love to read (of course), hike, sing, and spend time with my family doing all their various activities (soccer, robotics, band, tennis, etc).