About Me

When I was six, my parents started having monthly dinner parties with their friends. I loved these dinner parties because I got to stay up late and sit on my dad's lap while they played Trivial Pursuit. I read the questions to the opposing team and whispered answers to my dad when it was our turn. I'll never forget the sense of accomplishment I felt the first time I knew the answer when no one else did. I was always a curious kid, but that was the moment I fell in love with knowledge.

The next year, I came home from school one day and shared with my parents an in-depth explanation of why a boy in my second-grade class was an idiot. After the fourth or fifth "He's such an idiot because," my dad looked me straight in the eye and said, "I will not listen to you call that boy an idiot one more time! If you feel that strongly about it, find another word to use. You're the one who sounds like an idiot right now." He left the room and returned with his copy of Roget's Thesaurus. That was the moment I realized that knowledge was truly useful.

As I got older and progressed through school, I regularly came across classmates who didn't like learning. This did not compute. I could easily understand why they might not enjoy school (I mean, c'mon), but the idea of not wanting to learn didn't make a bit of sense to me. When I started tutoring in high school, I realized why: people don't like things that they don't think they're good at. This realization made me start focusing on their small victories, and, lo and behold, my students' attitudes towards their work changed!

After college, I spent several years avoiding a career in teaching before fate won out, and I realized that my true talent lies in my ability to get others excited about learning. I went back to school, got my teaching certificate, and ended up in the classroom for the next thirteen years.

My core talent lies in my innate ability to relate to kids--probably because I never quite grew up myself--and because of this, I treat them as equals. I value their ideas, their feelings, and their experiences because, when we learn, we learn with our whole selves. I let them know that a person's age is not in direct correlation to their intelligence. I share with them the value of questioning and curiosity. And I teach them that both life and learning are hard.

My goal is to help kids discover a sense of accomplishment in their work and develop the endurance and resolve to keep trying in the face of adversity. Whether their end goal is college, technical school, or an apprenticeship, I want every kid to have the skills and self-confidence to seek out the knowledge they need. As a result, my students don't just learn the facts, they learn how to think.

• I have one dog, three cats, a horse, a miniature donkey, four Jacob sheep, two Navajo Churro sheep, 20 chickens, 10 ducks, a very tolerant husband, and an amazing daughter.

• I knit, crochet, spin, cross stitch, and am learning to weave.

• I hand shear sheep (and am accepting new shearing clients).

• I read A LOT--mostly historical fiction and fantasy/sci-fi.

• I don't sleep as much as I'd like. See above.

• I listen to classic rock, punk rock, and 60s-80s pop, and I secretly sing and dance when I vacuum.

• I dream of being a homesteader, but I'm terrible at gardening at my house--my school gardens have been amazing, though.