Hi there! I’m Virginia from Virginia! I teach English 9, Advanced and Collaborative (which includes a few ELL students in each class), as well as all three levels of Theatre at William Monroe High School. I direct our VHSL one-act Theatre competition team and our spring musical. We fundraise throughout the year and are trying to raise enough funds to purchase new sound equipment. I’ve just wrapped up my sixth year of teaching, which included teaching 8th grade English (general and advanced) for three years before moving to my current school.

I’ve never studied abroad nor traveled to a country where English is not the primary language. I’ve been up and down the East coast of the US and Canada, but never outside of North America--not even a cruise! I am so excited to finally make the jump and not just go outside of the US, but go to South America! A whole different continent!!

One goal I have for Peru is to get comfortable outside of my comfort zone. I love learning new things and doing new things. I’ve been teaching the same English curriculum (basically) for the past three years and am ready to breathe new life into the curriculum and my classroom. I look forward to being a student again because I think that breeds a creativity and ingenuity in me that is more difficult than when I’m in my traditional classroom setting. In a personal sense, I also look forward to living in the unknown for six weeks--I enjoy stability and steadiness, so pursuing this experience removes those two factors for the most part.

On a more personal note, I grew up in Appomattox, VA and graduated from the University of Mary Washington in 2010 with a BA in English. Subsequently, I graduated from Randolph College in 2011 with a Masters of Arts in Teaching. Other than teaching, I love shopping, crafting, hiking, exploring the many breweries and wineries around, and generally venturing into new experiences with friends. I work at a winery and a restaurant a few times every month when they need me and when I have time. Between teaching, the theatre program, and those two part-time jobs, I love spending time with my pit bull, Bentley, and friends and family.