U.P. proud
I was born and raised in the tiny town of Hessel in Michigan's upper peninsula, where I graduated from a k-12 school with 29 kids in my graduating class. I love the UP, which is why I attended Northern Michigan University in Marquette; here, I majored in secondary education with a major in English and a minor in History. After completing my student teaching at Huron High School (where I currently teach), I graduated from NMU magna cum laude in December 2013. As much as I love where I grew up, I knew that I needed to find work in more diverse, larger school settings. I moved below the bridge when I was hired to teach in Warren Consolidated schools, and I've lived in southeast Michigan ever since. Even though I call the lower peninsula home, I will always be a "yooper" at heart; having grown up there has major impacts on the person I am today. I'm currently a graduate student in Michigan State University's Master of Arts in Education program, and will graduate in the spring of 2018.
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Outside of teaching, I love spending time outdoors and traveling. I'm blessed with a wonderful family of my parents, my brother, Jimmy, my sister, Mary, and my nephew, James Patrick III. Plus, my cat Eddie is basically the best animal ever. Some hobbies of mine include reading, yoga, traveling, hiking, running, writing, and spending time at my family's cabin on Pike Lake in Wetmore, MI (smack dab in the middle of the woods in the U.P). My family is very important to me; as we have gotten older, I have especially become closer with my siblings, Jimmy and Mary. It took some years for us all to mature and come into our own; now, we can all appreciate and respect each other for who we are. My parents certainly worked hard to turn us into the people we are today, and I don't know what I would do without their continued support.
Family is everything
From left: my sister Mary, my dad Jim, My mom Missy, My brother (Senior Staff Sargent in the Airforce), his wife Kari with James at 10 days old
Teaching is the greatest adventure
Note to capstone classmates - i changed this piece after revisiting the rubric. now it's adventures of teaching.
I cannot say that I ever have a truly dull day. Teaching presents me with challenges, stresses, and joys every day, and I can't imagine myself doing anything else. I'm so happy to be in this profession where I can watch kids grow, discover themselves, and decide ways to dedicate their lives. I decided I wanted to be a teacher because I was bullied in school. There were teachers, coaches, and adults who had ideas of what was going on, but did nothing to stop it. I decided that I don't want kids to have similar experiences as I had or to feel as though no one was there to help them. Teaching can be so stressful, busy, and at times maddening. But, at the end of the day, I'm blessed to say I love what I do.
"The Pump Guide" Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America
Northern Michigan University
The Common Fan
All slideshow photos are my own
Northern Michigan University
The Common Fan
All slideshow photos are my own