Walquist

Hello and welcome! I am so happy to be at OPRFHS and to be teaching Freshman English. I have taught a wide variety of classes and all grade levels. My favorite part of being a teacher is the students--I love to watch them grow as readers, writers, thinkers, and as community members. High school is an amazing time for intellectual growth in our young people!

My family and I moved to Oak Park in 2011, and I started working here at the high school in 2017. I am also a fellow D200 and D97 parent. This year will be my eight full year. Prior to working here, I taught for 5 years out in Massachusetts. I have an M.A. in English from Loyola University of Chicago and an M.Ed. from Keene State College out in NH where I lived. In between the two master's degrees, I spent about a decade teaching horseback riding and training horses. My love of horses and books are inextricably linked. As a young reader, I read everything I could about horses, both fiction and nonfiction alike, which I think all combined to make me a strong reader and to learn how books unlocked worlds and made unreachable experiences reachable. That time working with horses and riders also taught me a lot about teaching: the need to observe, connect, offer feedback in context, establish foundations, and then create challenges to foster growth. 

When I am not teaching, reading, and researching, I am spending time with my family, exploring natural areas, museums, and cultural activities.  My favorite new outdoor activity is kayaking on lakes and slow rivers. There is something exhilarating about being so close to the water and observing the natural world on the water. You get a view that is not possible on land. Another very important facet of my life is my native plant garden where I constantly observe, wonder, and learn. 

Looking forward to another year of adventure in the classroom!