“I grew up in Ohio and attended Ohio University for my undergraduate degree. My husband and I always knew we wanted to live somewhere with better landscapes and outdoor opportunities, so we moved to Oregon right after getting married. I earned my Master’s at Portland State University while I was teaching here at WVHS. This is my 25th year of teaching, and all of those years have been at this one high school. I attended an all-female Catholic high school in Toledo, Ohio, and many of my teachers were old, scary nuns who were completely unrelatable. But I had one teacher who was just a mom who taught History part-time while her own children were in school. She was the teacher that we all loved because she was just herself–good, bad, or otherwise. She inspired me to go into education, and I even wrote my college application essay about her.
I’ve really only wanted to be a teacher, but I am also very interested in art, art history, and architecture. I may pursue those after I retire from teaching. It’s probably no surprise that I like to read and write, since I am an English Language Arts teacher. I also love to be outdoors and enjoy hiking, snowshoeing, running, biking, and trips around the Northwest. Also, I walk my dog around my neighborhood in Portland several times a day, and it just never gets old for me. I love that doggy.
I really love to see students find their strengths, confidence, creativity, and critical-thinking skills. A really amazing student-written essay will never be a let-down for me.
I don’t think students are aware of how many tasks and responsibilities their teachers have every day. It is overwhelming just to think about handling all of the special considerations that come with students’ individual needs and desires. In addition, we attend so many meetings that all come with new responsibilities. I like to stay busy, but some days, it’s pretty crazy. Just responding to my emails often feels like a second job.
Besides teaching ELA 12, I also teach online English, art, and other elective classes in WKOA, the district’s online academy. I think WKOA offers some really interesting courses, especially electives, that students can take online. Many of these are career-focused and are often courses that we can’t offer in person, so I think they are a great opportunity for students to discover interests. I also think many students’ online learning experience during COVID quarantine was really negative, but it is much, much better now. Teachers have learned a lot!
Overall, the best lesson that I continually learn from students is to keep it real and always laugh. I laugh a lot at this job, and I know that’s why I stick with it.
I love stories and have plenty of memorable stories with students over the years. One favorite is when, on the last day of school, my students organized a birthday party for me where they had a bubble machine, “Juice Pong,” and an inflatable dragon that was over 6 feet long, hanging from strings attached to the ceiling. And, of course, it definitely was not my birthday. But I have a lot of great memories from all of my time here at WVHS.
I hope they remember that I got to know them each personally, that I helped arm them with communication skills, that they love to read, and, probably most importantly, that we had a good time in class. I think Senior English should create a bonding experience that we take through life, not just a bunch of lessons. I include myself in that “we.”