About Me

Teachers need to have a wide variety of skills and attributes for them to be an outstanding educator.  For a teacher to be truly outstanding, they need to; build a safe and supportive classroom culture where students are able to focus on their learning, be adaptable and considerate of student values, goals, and interests, and to continue to learn and grow as a professional.

It is critical for an outstanding teacher to respect students as individual people and learners. In order to build a healthy and safe classroom environment, students need to feel like they are respected and valued as they are. With a good classroom culture, teachers are better able to address the individual needs of their students.  Students need to be able to see themselves in the material they are learning, or at least see the relevance in their lives. Teachers should make every student feel welcome and supported when they enter the classroom and should work to achieve this goal continuously by building rapport throughout the year.

An exceptional teacher is also adaptable and has perseverance.  Classroom culture, previous knowledge, personalities, and mood can affect how students respond and receive the lesson materials on a daily basis.  A teacher should be able to adapt to new situations and maximize student learning while maintaining classroom expectations. A good teacher is able to use their knowledge and tools to come back after a lesson that did not meet the learning objectives and be able to incorporate different methods to achieve student mastery and make learning enjoyable for students. 

Finally, an outstanding teacher seeks opportunities to improve and is not afraid to fail. Outstanding teachers are never complacent with their materials, knowledge, and skills.  They are lifelong learners who continually strive to expand their own knowledge and seek ways to grow. Effective teachers use data to determine whether students are learning effectively and modify their methods or spend time learning more about curriculum matter to maximize student student success. 

• Married on September 5th, 2025! 

  • You may remember me as Ms. Smith if you've taken a class with me before

• I live in Duluth, MN

  • Nothing beats living near the shores of Lake Superior!

• Outside of teaching, I love

  • Learning 

    • I'm usually working through some history-related book

  • Floral Design

    • I've worked in the floral industry since 2017! 

  • Hanging out with my nieces and nephews

    • I've got 4 total

  • Hiking

    • Especially in autumn and on the Superior Hiking Trail or MN State Parks

  • Taking Nature Photos

  • Traveling

    • My most favorite place is Scotland! 

  • The "Name a Snowplow Contest" from MNDOT

This is my 6th year teaching at Crosslake!

• I started in 2020 as a middle and high school Social Studies teacher and learning coach

• Since 2021, I taught Economics, Sociology, World History A, and World History B

• Starting 2025, I'm teaching World History A and World History B! 

• I taught middle school Social Studies and K-8 Technology for two years in Robbinsdale, MN, before joining Crosslake! 

• Before I started my teaching career, I worked as a Sr. Youth Worker at an emergency children's shelter

I graduated Cum Laude from The College of St. Scholastica with a Bachelors of Arts in Secondary Social Science Education in 2016