Stephanie

I have over a dozen years of experience across a variety of school types. I have taught at a comprehensive high school with a significant population of language learners, at a large middle school with a high-achieving and diverse student population, and at a very small alternative learning environment for students who complete some of their learning at home.

In my teacher preparation program, they said there are three R's to teaching: rigor, relevance and relationships. This still rings true! I design every unit, every lesson, and every assignment to meet these criteria. If students are not challenged, they will not learn. If students are not engaged, they will not learn. If students feel that I am a threat, they will not learn. The focus on my classroom is not teaching but learning, and I do my best to ensure that happens every day.

I have earned my National Board Certification and have participated in numerous professional development activities through the National Endowment for the Humanities.

I attended public school through fifth grade, at which point I transferred to the private school from which I eventually graduated. I then attended Whitworth University, an intimate liberal arts college. I graduated in 2005 with a degree in English and stayed to a fifth year to receive my Masters in Teaching.

I am outgoing and love connecting with other educators. My interests and hobbies include cooking, reading, traveling and working out. I like most things in life—except clutter, yellow mustard (brown is fine), and taking my car to the mechanic. My husband and I are about to celebrate fifteen years of marriage. Our six-year-old is, like his parents, an avid reader.