About Ms. May

In 7th and 8th grade Humanities, our studies focus on reading, thinking, and communicating. We read novels, maps, diaries, song lyrics, essays, non-fiction, letters, speeches, and poems. We dissect them, analyze them, annotate them, interpret them, compare them, and digest them. We create new understandings, we solve problems, and we make connections between people, places, and historical events. Finally, we communicate about what we've read through writing, discussion, visual art, formal presentation, role play, and film.

I believe that 7th and 8th grades are challenging years because students' world views are shifting from localized, black-and-white perspectives to more global, ambiguous perspectives. I encourage students to seek answers to their questions knowing that there may be many, many versions of a "correct" answer, or that ultimately, an answer might prove to be elusive.

This is my fifth year as a Humanities teacher at Villa, and my 9th year teaching Humanities! I knew from a very young age that I wanted to become a teacher someday. After attending the University of Portland and achieving a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education and English, I decided to accept a position teaching in the United Arab Emirates. I spent two years teaching 6th-8th grade English to a majority English Language Learners population in a small remote town called Madinat Zayed that resides in one of the largest deserts in the world. After my two years there I decided to move to the city, and packed up to begin working at a British K-12 school in Dubai. There I taught 6th-12th grade using the British Cambridge curriculum and IB. After three years abroad I knew that it was time to move closer to home, and back to the Pacific Northwest.

When I’m not at work, I'm often hiking or camping and exploring as much of Washington state as I can or visiting my family in Oregon.