Week One — My Introduction
If I sit and think about it, I have been an educator for much of my life, in one form or another. I started out as a tutor while in junior high school and continued on into college. For my college internship, I was an Environmental Educator and wrote the curriculum for the summer camp. When I went to graduate school, I became a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Biology Department and then for the Geography Department. It is here that I found my love of teaching.
I have two bachelor’s in Ecology and Environmental Sciences and a master’s in Geography. I worked a number of years in the Geography, Environmental Sciences, and Resource Conservation. Finding and keeping a position in the conservation sector in SW Minnesota has been difficult, main reason being shifting funding sources. Because of this, I have been an on and off again substitute teacher in the Marshall (13 years) and Lakeview School Districts (8 years). I often find myself in the special education classrooms and have even been a long-term sub at Marshall Middle School for SPED.
I have built many relationships over the years with the teachers and students in the two school districts. I was encouraged by a number of teacher friends and by my family to go back to school. So, I am switching careers and becoming a returning student to earn my Special Education degree.
On a personal note, I have been married for 20 years to my college sweetheart. We have two girls, 6 and 8. One is my brainiac and prefers to stay inside. My youngest is all movement and activity. They are both horse crazy…just like their mom and grandma!