About Me

I am a mom to three energetic, lovable little humans. My family and I live near Winona, MN. I don't think I will ever get sick of seeing the natural beauty found in this part of the country.  From the bluffs to the Mississippi River, I can't take in the beauty fast enough. In my free time, I love to bake, cook, read, and travel to new places with my family and friends. I'm also constantly connected to my Twitter and Facebook group PLNs, so that I can continuously grow as an educator.

I am originally from Owatonna, MN. I took French as a senior in high school, and I fell in love with the language. My French teacher's passion for the French language and culture was addictive.   She inspired me to be a French teacher.  I attended and graduated from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa in 2010 with a major in French and a minor in Secondary Education.  Again, I was drawn in by the beauty of the bluffs and the rivers surrounding the Decorah area. My French teacher retired the same year that I graduated college. I applied for her position, and was so honored to have been chosen as the new French teacher at the Owatonna Senior High School. 

Since I was fresh out of college and I didn't have a social life, I decided to earn my Master's Degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) while I taught full-time. After almost 6 six years, I earned my EL licensure and Master's in TESOL in 2016 from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Every moment was worth it.
 

My teaching journey has been an adventure.  I taught French at the Owatonna Senior High School for 8 years, and then I switched to teaching multilingual learners (EL) for 2 more years there.  Some of my extracurriculars included being a Key Club advisor for students and a technology coach for my colleagues.

In the spring of 2020, my family and I moved to the Winona area for my husband's career. I took a rewarding position as a middle school multilingual learner specialist at the Onalaska Middle School in Onalaska, WI.  I enjoyed every minute of my time in Onalaska. The students, staff, and families are exceptional, and after a year I made a hard, but important decision to work remotely for the Owatonna Public Schools as the k-12 multilingual learner specialist for Owatonna Online. 

This past year has been one of extreme growth for both my students and me as we navigate 100% distance learning together.  Patience, persistence, and a growth mindset have helped us to not just succeed, but to flourish. I'm so proud of them!