Some say they were "born" to teach. My journey has been somewhat different. You might say, instead, that a "birth" led me to teaching. I am blessed with a wonderful husband and four beautiful children. My oldest child, Jack, started experiencing medical issues within his first year of life. By the time he was school age, a host of medical diagnoses and learning challenges were present. Sadly, school was torture for my Jack.
I originally sought my Master's in Education to help Jack navigate school. In 2012, Jack graduated from high school and happily moved into the work force, proud and filled with unbridled enthusiasm. The world wasn't entirely ready, but Jack was ... busting down doors and barriers at the same time, happily armed with his indomitable spirit and contagious smile. And ... here I am. Now in my fifteenth year at Saint John XXIII, I am firmly rooted in the teaching profession, and my professional "home" at Saint John XXIII.
Each year, I get to dust off my thirty plus year old Bachelor of Arts Degree in History as I teach Social Studies in our Middle School ... my parents would be beaming. I'm thrilled to be teaching World History to sixth graders, but add in American History for seventh and eighth graders, and I think it's fair to say that I am over the moon! What an honor! My three daughters, graduates of Saint John XXIII, (it will ALWAYS be Pope John XXIII to them!) are college graduates ... all from the University of Arizona. They are as beautiful on the inside as they appear on the outside ... patient, abundantly kind, fierce, justice-minded, and tolerant. Not only blessed, but I'm a proud Wildcat Mom, too!
As for Jack, he is a joyful, enterprising, and successful young man who serves as my inspiration inside, and even outside the classroom, every day of my life. His heart beats in my classroom. Ours is a classroom Jack would love. It is an "intentionally" active, fun, safe, and happy place; we do some learning there, too! On any given day, the classroom is filled with laughter and the sounds of students sharing their ideas freely and respectfully. Simple successes are cause for raucous celebrations. I believe with all my heart that if a child feels safe and loved in his or her academic environment, the sky is the limit! My hope is that your student finds Saint John XXIII a place where his or her happiest childhood memories are being stored. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to starting some memories of my own with your student, too!
See you at school!
I originally sought my Master's in Education to help Jack navigate school. In 2012, Jack graduated from high school and happily moved into the work force, proud and filled with unbridled enthusiasm. The world wasn't entirely ready, but Jack was ... busting down doors and barriers at the same time, happily armed with his indomitable spirit and contagious smile. And ... here I am. Now in my fifteenth year at Saint John XXIII, I am firmly rooted in the teaching profession, and my professional "home" at Saint John XXIII.
Each year, I get to dust off my thirty plus year old Bachelor of Arts Degree in History as I teach Social Studies in our Middle School ... my parents would be beaming. I'm thrilled to be teaching World History to sixth graders, but add in American History for seventh and eighth graders, and I think it's fair to say that I am over the moon! What an honor! My three daughters, graduates of Saint John XXIII, (it will ALWAYS be Pope John XXIII to them!) are college graduates ... all from the University of Arizona. They are as beautiful on the inside as they appear on the outside ... patient, abundantly kind, fierce, justice-minded, and tolerant. Not only blessed, but I'm a proud Wildcat Mom, too!
As for Jack, he is a joyful, enterprising, and successful young man who serves as my inspiration inside, and even outside the classroom, every day of my life. His heart beats in my classroom. Ours is a classroom Jack would love. It is an "intentionally" active, fun, safe, and happy place; we do some learning there, too! On any given day, the classroom is filled with laughter and the sounds of students sharing their ideas freely and respectfully. Simple successes are cause for raucous celebrations. I believe with all my heart that if a child feels safe and loved in his or her academic environment, the sky is the limit! My hope is that your student finds Saint John XXIII a place where his or her happiest childhood memories are being stored. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to starting some memories of my own with your student, too!
See you at school!