After graduating with a BA from Calvin University, I taught philosophy, psychology, and creative writing at an international school in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. It was there that I fell in love with teaching and learning. Since then, I’ve worked in various education settings, ranging from middle school to community college to a university honors program. In early 2021, I completed my MA in Curriculum and Instruction from The George Washington University Graduate School of Education.
My goal as a humanities teacher is to inspire my students to think deeply, communicate effectively, and unlock the joy that is intellectual discovery. I also want them to actualize their own unique power in the process–and, of course, to always be kind. In my senior humanities class, students are required to actively participate in discussions about the texts we read. While this can be intimidating, the goal is for students to practice articulating their observations and questions, regardless of whether a comment is “correct” or not. Even if a comment is “off”–or needs redirection on my part–the experience of responding to an insight has moved us closer to the truth. In that way, we are weaving a tapestry together as a class, and while the process may get convoluted, my goal is that by the end we’ll have unraveled the knots and gotten to a fuller understanding.
When I’m not teaching, you can find me lost in the pages of a book, scribbling away on my own stories, or hiking a trail with my husband. I also love to swim: my happy place is a lake in the summertime, preferably near mountains.