Originally, I hail from Wisconsin but during my first high school year, my family moved to the Chicagoland area. My parents are incredible people and I credit them with every smart move I've made in my life. As a result of growing up in both urban and rural areas, I've found that I enjoy living and leaving both but I am currently loving the life in Columbia Falls, Montana, and this will be my seventh year in this district. My teaching career has taken me north to Troy, Montana, and east to the battle of Troy in Turkey. My academic background strengths are in Anthropology and Spanish, along with having a love of lingustics and the history of languages.
My husband works for the Montana Wilderness Association as the Continental Divide Trail Stewardship Director. I join him on summer time trail projects. We met on trail crew and we've been together since we met in Butte. I love the outdoors, animals, gardenining, guitars and the spices that make up curries. I believe in the power of investigative journalism and the knowledge of facts. I believe that someday I'll finish my book of poetry and the power of summer rainstorms. I know that exercising (particularly running and the Hellroaring CrossFit) made me a calmer and creative person. I know my travels and living abroad in six countries and 13 states have impacted my world views and my take on humanity. I hope to teach students- of all beliefs and of all levels- that their voices matter through writing, research, reading and critical thinking (or what I've come to call creading... reading everything critically). And someday, maybe someday, I'll be able to pop and lock.
If you have questions, concerns, teaching tips or just general information that you think I can use in the classroom, please send it my way: n_vestal@cfmtschools.net. I always respond to thoughtful emails.