I began teaching at Grace in 2006, and now I can’t imagine being anywhere else. As the 8th grade homeroom teacher, I have the privilege of spending my days with an amazing, constantly changing group of young adults. I teach Language Arts and History to the 7th and 8th grade, challenging my students to support ideas and opinions with strong evidence and reasoning. Each week, my classes participate in News Currents where we debate hot topics in the news and learn about people and events around the globe. I also work with the Student Council and direct a middle school play in the spring.
I grew up near Austin, Texas, and attended Zion Lutheran School through 8th grade. My father was my grade school principal and 8th grade teacher. I promised myself I would never, under any circumstances, become a teacher. The joke, apparently, is on me since I have been teaching middle school since my college graduation in 1999. I went to college in Austin at Concordia University, earning my degree in secondary education. My first teaching job was at St. Paul in Lakeland, Florida where I spent five years. After shivering my way through one winter in Champaign, Illinois, I moved back to Florida when I accepted the call to teach at Grace.
God has blessed me with a wonderful husband, Norm, who also works at Grace. We love to travel together - either in my convertible or on our motorcycles. When we are at home, you can find us grilling on the back porch or curled up in our favorite chairs reading.