I came to Kalamazoo in 2001 from Saginaw, MI to study secondary education at Western Michigan University. After graduation in 2005 I started working for the public schools and spent seven years there teaching English to middle and high schoolers.

When it comes to teaching, I don't believe that students should sit quietly waiting for me to fill their heads with knowledge. I invite students to become active participants in their education. I view myself as a teacher-facilitator. I strive to encourage my students to ask deeper questions and learn from each other. While I know a lot about my subject matter, I can admit that I don't know everything. When working in the classroom, I don't want my students to always look to me for the answer; I want them to search for the answer and to learn from each other. I take my role as a lifelong learner seriously!

Outside of school you'll usually find me swimming, biking, or running. I started training for indoor and outdoor triathlons in 2011 and found that I really enjoyed it! I like trying new recipes (this can be a good and bad thing), reading, traveling, learning French, and listening to live music. My husband and I have two rescue dogs and we like looking for new places to walk them. We also like watching movies, kayaking, and listening to records.

I started my master's studies in 2008 at WMU in the Socio-Cultural Foundations program and will have my degree in December of 2012. I've focused my studies around topics in multicultural education. These studies even led me to spending a summer in Senegal, West Africa (one of the best experiences of my life). This program has been the best part of my educational journey so far and I plan on continuing my studies in multicultural and anti-bias education long after I have my degree.

I can't wait to settle into my position as the Middle School Humanities teacher at the Kazoo School. Working with youth is my passion and I am looking forward to what the school year will bring!