Staff profile

My passion for teaching started long before I had my own classroom. In fact, I knew at the age of four that I wanted to be a teacher! Many thanks to my brothers and Grandpa Joe for playing school with me—sometimes against their will. When they weren't available for my lessons at the chalkboard, a classroom full of dolls and stuffed animals happily filled in.

As an older sister who absolutely loved school, I could never understand why my brothers didn't want to complete my ABC worksheets during our trips from Fargo to Minneapolis. Thankfully, I still bring that same enthusiasm and curiosity to the classroom today—just with much more engaging lessons!

Growing up, I helped my mom with her in-home childcare program and at Sunday School. Through her, I learned so much about children, teaching, and life. Her influence is a big reason why I love working with younger children. Most of my years in the classroom have been with 1st through 3rd year children. When I taught at a private Montessori school, I worked with children in grades 1–4. I absolutely loved it and often felt like a modern-day Laura Ingalls Wilder!

My family is part of every classroom I've taught in, whether in Moorhead, Minneapolis, or Saint Paul. My mom has sewn countless pillows, napkins, curtains, and other classroom materials over the years. She also creates wonderfully engaging games that support literacy and math learning. My dad has built, repaired, and improved many classroom items. My brothers, sister, and niece appear regularly in the stories I share with your children. Since my sister lives in Saint Paul, she occasionally joins us at school or on field trips.

Some of my favorite things to share with children at school are sewing, cooking, baking, geography, reading, and history.

When I'm not at school, you'll often find me sewing, cooking, baking, traveling, reading, or spending time in nature. Montessori is more than an educational philosophy to me—it's truly a way of life.