My Education and Work Background
* I graduated from Fargo South High School in 2000
* I spent my first year of school at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN as a music major. I felt very honored to be a part of the excellent music department there.
* I transferred from St. Olaf to Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN for my second year. At Augsburg College I studied Music Therapy. It is an exciting field to study, however, after a practicum experience at the Fraser School in Richfield, MN, I felt my true calling was to teach.
* During the summer of 2002, I worked as a paraprofessional in the Extended School Year program for the West Fargo (ND) Public Schools. My desire to teach increased and I decided to stay in the Fargo-Moorhead area and attend Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) to pursue an elementary education degree.
* While I attended MSUM I worked at a preschool and childcare facility in Fargo.
* I graduated Summa Cum Laude from MSUM in December 2005 with a BS in Elementary Education and an emphasis on Pre-primary Education.
* After graduation from MSUM, I substitute taught around the Fargo-Moorhead area. I was lucky enough to be able to substitute in my mom's elementary music classroom for six weeks while she was on medical leave. What a great experience!
* During the summer of 2006 my husband and I moved to Jackson, MN. I worked as a paraprofessional at Pleasentview Elementary in Lakefield, MN for a few months and also substitute taught around the area.
* In April 2006 I found Joyful Journeys! I was the lead teacher in the Infant Room for four months and the "graduated" to the Preschool Room in September.
My Family
My husband Brady is a Current Products Design Engineer on the Terra-Gator Line at AgCo in Jackson, MN. He loves anything that has to do with machines and how things work. He especially likes to fabricate and weld.
Brady and I have quite a houseful of animals! We have two Daschhunds name Maynard and Patrick. They sure keep us busy! We also have one large white cat named Felix.
My father Dennis lives in Fargo, ND. He works in the Production Services department at the Fargo Forum newspaper. His job, like I tell students, is to "make the pictures you see in the paper look nice." My dad enjoys woodworking, gardening, and helping my brother with his race car.
My mother Roanne passed away from breast cancer on September 11, 2006. She was an amazing woman and the best teacher in the world (in my opinion!) If I can ever teach half as well as she could I will be very happy!
My younger brother Brady lives with my dad in Fargo. He is a mechanic at a large car dealership in Fargo. He knows cars inside and out! He also loves to race cars. Over the years he has tried out several different makes of race cars. I'm not sure what he will race next year!
My Music
Music is a very important part of my life. I began piano lessons at age four, with my mother as my teacher. I have played the viola for 16 years and currently enjoy being a part of the Mankato Symphony Orchestra. I performed many solo works, and had the opportunity to perform with the St. Olaf College Orchestra, Augsburg College Orchestra, Fargo-Moorhead Symphony, Fargo-Moorhead Opera and various other smaller ensembles.
My Other Interests
I love living in the Iowa Great Lakes region. There is nothing better than being able to walk two blocks and be at the lake! I also enjoy gardening, travelling, baking, knitting, skiing and snowshoeing, running with all my animals (including my husband!)