Summary of teaching experience

I have taught in public and Christian schools and home educated our youngest daughter. My last teaching experience was teaching 3rd grade at The Heiskell School in Buckhead. I have taught every grade from 1st to 12th grade.

Level of education and specific focus

When I graduated from college, you could not major in Education, you had to have a core major. I did my undergraduate at The College of Idaho and my 5th year (credential) and MSEd at the University of Southern California. I have taken continuing education classes at The Master's College and Hillsdale College.

Why did you decide to become a teacher?

I was "that" child - I loved to have my nose in a book or encyclopedia. I just had an appetite for learning. A friend asked me to become a long-term substitute at a Christian School. I fell in love with teaching and at the end of the semester I went to USC to get my teaching credential and wound up staying on for a Master's Degree.

What do you appreciate the most about the Principle Approach?

The Principle Approach cultivates reflective thinking and deep reasoning from biblical truth. Real learning is not about achieving a certain grade or knowing a list of facts; rather, learning is about growing as a person and applying God’s wisdom to all areas of life.

How do you teach a biblical worldview to your classroom?

Everything we do in life should be done to the glory of God and that includes teaching and learning. It is a privilege to present any subject through the lense of the Creator and His Word and help them apply the Bible to their everyday life, academics and activities.

What do you want students to appreciate about your class?

I want my students to develop a deeper assurance and dependence in the LORD. They should long to have the discipline to seek His pleasure in every study or activity that brings joy even to the most mundane task. They will see that I am sincere, honest and transparent with them, willing to admit something I do not know but will certainly venture to find an answer. I want them to quickly seek biblical forgiveness and to offer it to others, something that I try to model in the class.

What is unique about you, your talents that you bring to the classroom?

One thing that I bring to the classroom is not necessarily unique to me is that I love the LORD with all my heart. The love I have for Him and for His Word, reflects on my teaching style. Seeking to do everything as "unto the LORD" creates in me a desire to study to make sure I am able to pass along to my students an infectious love of learning and a sense of self discipline to do the best in all that they do for Him. My family came over on the Mayflower as Puritans which has given me a very personal joy in telling stories of America from original source documents. Bringing history to life for students beyond dates and times gives them a better understanding of God's Providential Hand in the events of the world, the consequences of man's adherence to His leading (or their disobedience) helps students to better understand that they are not merely "passing through" on a timeline, but they can bear witness to who He has created them to be. I bring a joy of learning that I hope they will "catch" and develop into a life-long habit with the gifts and talents that God has uniquely created in each of them individually.