TEACHES IN THE FOLLOWING PROGRAM(S)
Education Graduate Studies
Education
- BA in Elementary Education from Carroll College in 2002
- Masters in Learning and Teaching from Carroll University in 2009
- 316 Reading Teacher License from Carroll University
- 317 Reading Specialist License from Carroll University in 2015
Areas of Specialization
- Literacy
- Multiage
- Advocacy
Service to Carroll University and Profession
I have mentored student teachers for the majority of my 21 years in education.
What is your teaching style?
I am a constructivist, student-first educator and advocate. The curriculum and classroom community are the "Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors" in the learning environment. It is my responsibility to cultivate a space that represents and validates people (Rudine Sims Bishop 1990).
Why do you do what you do?
This profession is what I was meant to do. It feeds me, fuels me, drains me, energizes me, frustrates me, and is the reason I am one of the lucky ones who likes to go to work, even when I am grumbling through a sleepy-morning mental fog.
How do you make learning engaging?
Figuratively speaking, I quit being a teacher long ago. Facilitating learning is the art that I practice daily. I fail often but succeed a lot as well. In addition, students learn to know that I care about them as whole people. My empathetic nature and desire for authentic conversation tends to be the glue that binds the learning and the learners.
What should students know about you?
I live in beta. Nothing is set in this ever-changing world. Learning and teaching should reflect that. I see people as humans and care deeply about my role in a learner's journey. Additionally, if I had to choose another profession, I'd want to be a storm chaser. Outside of education, extreme weather is the only adrenaline rush I seek.