| My favorite book of the Bible | Although I love reading through all of the books of the Bible, the book of Psalms is definitely my favorite for several reasons. First of all, I really enjoy reading the poetic language. This amazing book is full of figurative language, literary devices, and fantastic examples of imagery! Secondly, as a singer, I love that many of these psalms have become songs that we sing in church. Lastly, throughout various seasons of my life, I have found inspiration and comfort through the words of the Bible–and many of them were in the book of Psalms. I am extremely grateful for the life-changing gift of God’s Word! |
| Education & Certification | I graduated with honors from Millersville University in PA with a B.A. in English Education. During my first few years of teaching, I obtained my twenty-four graduate level credits needed for a permanent teaching certificate in PA. I earned those credits by taking classes through a local branch of Eastern Mennonite University. Additionally, I have continued to take graduate level courses every few years to keep my certification current. Although I have been teaching for almost thirty years, I consider myself a lifelong learner and enjoy taking classes to learn how to be an even better educator! |
| Experience | After graduating from college, I spent a year working at a local tutoring center, substitute teaching, and instructing homebound students. Then, I worked at a wonderful Christian school for almost ten years. I taught a freshman writing course, a high school literature class, and all of the middle school ELA classes. I also spent a year teaching middle school ELA classes at a public school. Additionally, I worked as a homeschool evaluator for several different families. After having my own children, I decided to stay home and homeschool them. As a family, we’ve been involved in a homeschool co-op where I have taught high school literature, middle school literature, and public speaking for the past seven years. I also spent two years teaching ESL online to students in China. In February of 2022, I was hired to work for Lemons-Aid Education, and I am thrilled to be be a part of this amazing educational ministry! |
| What My Classroom is Like | As a believer, my goal in the classroom is to help my students view literature and writing from a Christian worldview. Students are an integral part of my classroom, and I love hearing from them; therefore, my classes are interactive. I also aim to make my classes fun, as I believe that having fun is truly an integral part of learning. My students are important to me, and, to that end, I give immediate feedback to help them pursue excellence in the work they do for me. I also aim to build community in my classroom by encouraging students to get to know me and one another throughout our class time together. |
| When I’m not Teaching or Working… | I live in upstate New York with my amazing husband, Mark. We have an eighteen-year-old son who hopes to become a computer programmer and a fifteen-year-old daughter who loves to create various projects either at her craft table or in the kitchen. Additionally, our home is filled with four fluffy felines who think they are actually the ones in charge. In my spare time, I like to read books, sing on my church’s worship team or in local theater productions, and drink copious amounts of coffee. |
