I hope that you will find this web site to be a valuable resource.  If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me or comment on the appropriate class blog linked on the right.

My Schedule:
Hour One--Perspectives in Language and Literature (English 12)
Hour Two--Perspectives in Language and Literature (English 12)
Hour Three--CIS Modern Fiction (Semester One)
   Creative Writing Quest (Semester Two)
Lunch A
Hour Four--10 IB
Hour Five--10 IB
Hour Six--Prep

A little background information...
I have been teaching English at Central Senior High School since the Fall of 1997; I received my Bachelors of Applied Arts from the University of Minnesota Duluth; I am currently working on my Masters degree at the College of St. Catherine in Library and Information Science.

My Teaching Philosophy
“Books are not made to be believed, but to be subjected to inquiry. When we consider a book, we mustn’t ask ourselves what it says but what it means…” Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose.
For me, in questioning what a book means, discovering the underlying and often universal truths found within the pages, is where truth lies--in understanding ourselves and our connections to others. If one can look inside the pages to find different perceptions from our own, it is in putting these pieces together that true learning through literature can begin. How can we find answers for ourselves through other people’s lives and experiences? We can only do this if we care to discover their perceptions, their rights, their truths, their faults and see how it relates to our own world, our own vision of truth. This discovery can only begin if one is engaged in the literature and in the world itself. One must ask questions and seek to find answers to those questions—and yet be comfortable in not finding the “right” answer. My role as the teacher is to help facilitate this process, encourage questioning, and ultimately help students read the world better. This is what is beautiful about literature and even when narrations seem vague, characters seem confused, lines of truth and lies are blurred—and maybe because of all of these things and not despite them—can one see the universal truth that can be learned from every story.

Other activities at Central...
I am actively involved in the Ninth Grade Academy and Link Crew.

Other interests outside of Central... I believe that traveling and seeing the world is an essential part of learning. In order to be a good educator, an interested student of literature, a complete person, I must continue to look outward. I have been fortunate enough to travel to Asia, Europe, all over North America, and to the tip of South America.  I hope to continue to find adventures and explore the world.
I also love to dance, to knit,  to listen to music, to read, to golf, to kickbox, and to swim.  I am also interested in utilizing technology in the classroom to enhance the curriculum.