Ms. Sampson is a lover of family, learning, animals, history and all things economics! She enjoys her daily cup of coffee or two (errr... three) and to relax while listening to music. At the house she loves to play board games, and read or craft with her daughter. They also love to dance and sing while cooking dinner. Playing with her cats Sunny and Juice, or watching the tortoise walk the yard are ways that she spends time with her "animal family." You may spot Ms. Sampson outside walking, enjoying Historic Downtown Lakeland, or "treasure hunting" in vintage and thrift shops.

Summers are spent between hiking in the mountains, enjoying the surf and sand at a local Florida beach or day tripping to new places around the state. Travel is always on the calendar for summer. The season of autumn calls Ms. Sampson to go camping, canoe in springs and kayak in lakes. She loves to lay in the hammock and read in the shade. It is a great time to roast s'mores over a fire-pit and enjoy night walks. In the winter, she warms up with hot apple cider and delights in lighting a fire in the fireplace while decorating for the holidays. Spring time brings a freshness which encourages Ms. Sampson to "spring clean" and get the urge to get outside again to enjoy nightly walks or another camping trip!

In addition to teaching, Ms. Sampson also tutors to assist students in need for additional academic prep. She is a "fixer-upper" and will refurbish furniture and enjoys DIY projects. She volunteers her time working with others as well as working with the local homeless.

Teaching philosophy:

in the classroom:

​The following methods and tactics are used to employ learning gains in and outside of the classroom: 

• Collaborative Learning                                   
• Reading Text and Ancillary Articles
• Class Discussion
• Debate
• Essay Writing
• Document Based Questions
• Vocabulary Activities
• Analyze Historical Documents

• Problem Solving
• Peer based Action
• Multimedia Analysis
• Play
• Competition

In the Economics with Financial Literacy course,  the following programs of study are taught and reinforced in the curriculum:

• Scarcity requires people and societies to make economic decisions about how to utilize limited resources.
• The interaction of supply and demand is an essential component of a market economy.
• Business organizations within diverse market structures operate differently to remain successful in the marketplace.
• The government’s role in the health of our economy at a macro level.
• Consumers are faced with many decisions regarding their finances. Students will evaluate good decision making, credit, saving, investing, interest as well as calculating various personal finance concerns.
• Economic growth is essential for developing nations to participate in the global economy, affected by new technologies, international commerce and participating in costs and benefits of such involvement.

Student Thoughts:

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"I've said many times before: 'I'll never use this in real life.' I was wrong. You'll use this more than any other course you take in high school. I graduated in '16 and I still use her lessons to help me in life."  
                                                                                                                                       - Bryce B.  (Class of 2016)

"This is the most beneficial class you'll ever take in high school."                    - Alex G.    (Class of 2016)

​"Ms. Sampson makes every <economic> concept she teaches apply to real life and makes everything easy to understand. She was one of the only teachers I can say I honestly learned from."                              
​                                                                                                                                      - Amy M.   (Class of 2017)

"I honestly don't think Ms. Sampson had to change anything. She is the best teacher there is. She tries her best to help students. She goes out of her way to make class really fun for everyone to enjoy. She is strong headed, always making sure everyone is understanding the concept."                                  - Jailene S. (Class of 2018)

"Any lesson she taught was good so far. I like how she gave me notes and put in all the accommodations that I need. (deaf student)"                                                                                             - Julie P. (Class of 2018)

"She is just a very generous and kind and sweet and a very helpful person... and she is very very good at what she does, thank you Ms. Sampson!"                                                                          - Zevin K. (Class of 2018)

"She made sure we understood what was going to throughout class whether it was videos or a worksheet. This class taught me way more than expected."                                                       - Dajha S. (Class of 2018)

"Ms. Sampson was very clear in pretty much everything. She is very nice and an amazing instructor."
                                                                                                                                   - Roberth S. (Class of 2018)

"Ms. Sampson did particularly well in the area of teaching personal finance."                                                                                                                                                                                                       - Avery A.   (Class of 2019)

"Ms. Sampson did well explaining topics from her own perspective, and she was very honest with the class."  
                                                                                                                                     - Khalil C. (Class of 2019)

"Although she's a bit quirky and does bounce around a bit in the subject, Ms. Sampson is a decent government teacher."                                                                                                                     - Andrew F. (Class of 2019)