I grew up in the vicinity of Lake Wobegon, Minnesota, as the youngest child in a family that loves to read, debate, travel domestically and internationally, watch and perform theater, and participate in politics. Although I loved my nurturing and creative Campus Lab elementary school (which reminds me of our Lower School) I actually didn't enjoy most of my high school experience - which was quite different from OES. But I loved the challenge and big ideas of college and was convinced I would be a college professor until I took the chance to work as a maternity-leave substitute, teaching HS seniors in Humanities at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. Twenty-eight years and two schools later, I'm still passionate about engaging in the classroom with high-school students. I particularly enjoy working on close reading of texts and building writing skills and confidence. I have always taught some literature and some history, but shifted to full-time English teaching at OES five years ago. Because all three of my jobs have been at boarding schools and I worked for ten years in the OES boarding program, I feel a special connection to the experience of our OES dorm students. My two children are young-adult OES alums, but since my husband and I live on a 140-acre farm where he raises pastured animals for milk, eggs, and meat, we don't know anything about "empty nests"!

Special interests include theater, anything to do with Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, or Shakespeare, 19th-century English literature and period dramas, and historical cooking.

Outside of school, I am busy with farming (Wingham Farms - check us out on Facebook or our website), jam and jelly making, cheese making, gardening, and knitting.

Education:

• BA Ripon College, 1988 - majors in Spanish Literature, History, and Politics & Government.

• BA University College London, 1990 - First Class Honours in Medieval and Modern History.

• MA Duke University, 1993 - Specialties in Medieval and Early Modern English and European History, and Women's History.

Teaching experience: teacher at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (8 years – 1993-2001), founding teacher and dorm parent at the Conserve School in northern Wisconsin (3 years – 2001-2004) and teacher (and former dorm parent and alumni parent) at OES since 2004.

Current and Past Courses: English 9, English 10, Ethical Persuasion, Poetry, Heroic Tradition, Shakespeare, Humanities, Medieval World, History 9, US History I, US History Research Seminar, Introduction to Research, Renaissance Europe, World Religions, Humanities in the West (Ancient to Modern), Introduction to Shakespeare, Jane Austen Seminar.