About me...
My husband, Whit, is a real Montana cowboy.
We don't have any kids or pets currently, but we do have a cactus named Pedro III. I love drinking coffee, traveling, snapping pictures with my camera, and knitting. I also have a great love for music and dancing. After finishing my undergraduate studies, I lived in England for two years where I got to live and work with young adults from all over the world. Placed in London Colney(just north of London city limits), we served the youth of the Westminster Diocese of the Catholic Church by leading day and residential retreats. After traveling to some of the most beautiful places in the world, I came back home, worked for awhile and then finally decided what I wanted to do with my life. So I started graduate school in the summer of 2014 with the plan to get my Masters in Elementary Education. While we were living in Springfield, MN for a short time (Whit was working for Fredin Bros.), Whit and I decided to move to Las Cruces, NM to finish our degrees at New Mexico State University, where he had started his Bachelors the year before. We lived in Las Cruces for 2 years then spent most of 2016-2017 living on Whit's family ranch back in Winnett, MT. I completed my student teaching in the small country school where Whit grew up with a 1st & 2nd Grade class of 14 students and graduated in December 2016. When the opportunities arose for us to come back to Springfield, we were over the moon! Whit was thrilled to go back to work for Fredins and, for me, working at St Raphael's fulfills one of my lifelong dreams. Working at the retreat center in England sparked a passion for me that got me hooked on working in Catholic education. Deciding to go back to school was a big decision for me but when I thought about the outcome, I knew it was where God was calling me. I discovered a way to combine my two greatest passions: service and young people. What better way to serve than to help educate young minds? |
Experience
- B.A. in Youth Ministry
(Religion major, psychology minor with an emphasis in youth ministry)~ Concordia College, Moorhead, MN
- Master of Arts in Elementary Education ~New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM
- 2 years serving as Volunteer Missionary at SPEC Center~
Catholic Youth Retreat Center in London Colney, England - ELL Tutor for America Reads, Fargo, ND
- Homework Tutor/Volunteer Coordinator at Boys and Girls Club~Lewistown, MT
- Substitute Teacher~Lewistown, MT & Winnett, MT
- Assistant Catechist at Annunciation Catholic Church~Minneapolis, MN
- Several years working with young people in the church and other extra-curricular
- Student Teaching in Winnett, MT ~Grades 1 & 2
My hopes for the year...
I not only want to help students pass exams and learn mathematical equations, but I want to help them truly find a love for growing and changing and becoming a better person.
I strive to teach them respect, honesty, and responsibility. It is these three blocks on which the classroom is built. It is my biggest dream to instill in young people the desire to learn, not just inside the classroom but out in the world. |