Frequently Asked Questions

1. Q.  "Where are you from; did you grow up around here?"

    A.  I am from Metamora, Illinois, a smallish town outside of Peoria.  My parents,

         two brothers, Brad and Michael, and sister, Breana, still live there. My family

         is wonderful, and I love spending time with them.  It's nice that I'm only a

         45 minute drive away from home. 

2.  Q.  "You have hobbies?  I thought the only thing teachers ever did was 'school

           stuff.'  I didn't know you had a life!"

     A.  Well, I do spend a great deal of time working on and thinking about school. This past May, I completed my master's degree at ISU in Curriculum and Instruction.  When I'm not grading, planning lessons, etc. there are quite a few things I enjoy.  I like spending time with my friends and family, especially my nephew Carter, reading, stamping/card making, baking and cooking, gabbing with my mom and sister, watching The Office and Gilmore Girls reruns, dreaming about a vacation to the beach, and looking at houses.

3.    Q.  "Did you like school when you were a kid?  What kind of student were

             you?"

       A.  I did like school.  I loved it, and still do, when I could relate or connect

           something I learned in history to math or something I read in literature to

           chemistry.  I had many wonderful teachers that helped me see these

           connections and kept me interested in their subject matter.

           As far as being a good student, well...I am a procrastinator.  This is a

            challenge I have fought all my life;  there were times in grade school (3rd

            grade was the worst for me) that I missed recess often because I didn't

            get my work done.  I hated missing recess because that was the time to  

            catch up with my friends in other classes.  I was also a pretty talkative

            student and that got me in trouble occasionally.  But I liked getting good

            grades, respected my teachers, and after 3rd grade did not want to miss

            anymore recess or other social event, so I worked hard at school. 

4.    Q. "You teach middle school?  Are you crazy?"

       A.  No way, middle school students are awesome! I love teaching 6th graders. 

            They are so interesting and at that point in their life when they are trying  

                  to figure out who they are and how they relate to the world.  It's exciting

            to watch them grow over the course of their middle school years.

5.    Q.  "Wow, you look so young?  Are you a student teacher?"

       A.  No, I'm not a student teacher, but I did do my student teaching right

            here at BJHS six years ago!  The 2008-2009 school year marks the

            beginning of my 6th year teaching on 6H1.  I love teaching math, science,

            and English.  I majored in middle school education at ISU and have

            endorsements in math and language arts.  Math is probably my favorite

            subject to teach because I love numbers, but I've always liked science and

            enjoy writing which makes teaching English fun.  I am lucky to have such

            a great teaching partner in Mr. Fillmore.