Imagine your favorite teacher….then, imagine how blessed you’d have been to have also had her be your own mother.  This was the case for me - even though I also had many wonderful teachers at school - no one was quite as engaging as my mother.  While she enjoyed teaching professionally, she also made time to teach her four children: how to read, research, and explore – all with such joy!  Is it any wonder that both my sisters, my brother, and I all went into some form of education?
 
My personal journey began in 1997; when, equipped with an undergraduate degree in Speech Communications, and double minors in English and Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Northern Colorado, I started teaching at a Business Language School in Frankfurt, Germany.  This meant a beautiful, hour-long train commute from the college town of Marburg, where I lived with my husband.  For the next three years, I taught English to the employees of banks and pharmaceutical companies, and learned a lot in the process.
 
After my oldest son, Clark, was born in 2000, I balanced work and motherhood by taking on translation and private tutoring jobs. In 2005, my youngest son, Finn, was born, and, a year later, the family moved back to my home state of Colorado.
 
From 2006-2009, I had the chance to teach at a local high school (English and German).  This was an exciting and challenging time.  It also helped me realize that I wanted to learn even more about education.  So, from 2009-2011, I went back to UNC to study for a graduate degree, and attained my M.A. in Gifted and Talented Education. As a follower of Christ, I firmly believe that everyone has gifts and talents!  (Romans 12:6-8).  
 
I was able to put this belief into action when I started teaching at Colorado Mountain College.  From Jan. 2011 until July 2015, I very much enjoyed helping students (re)discover their personal gifts and talents by being an adjunct instructor at CMC and teaching Developmental English, German, and GED readiness classes.  During this time, I also part-time home-schooled both my sons.
 
From 2015 until 2019, I kept part-time home-schooling Clark (who graduated in 2019 with dual degrees: one from GSHS, and an Associate’s degree from CMC) and Finn, who’s ready to give it his all at GSHS.  During the days when both boys were at a physical school, I chose to take a leave of absence from the classroom, and used the time to write for local publications and businesses.  It’s a thrill to see your work published, and I’m going to try and offer this opportunity to the middle school students at St. Stephen.
 
No matter what, I pray that I can inspire any students that I get the chance to work with half as well as my mother inspired and believed in my siblings and me.   Please never hesitate to: ask questions, volunteer in the classroom, or give me insights into how your child learns best.  I look forward to a wonderful school year!