How did you get into teaching, and what inspired you to start teaching?
Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, and many of my biggest role models were my teachers. However, I couldn’t decide which subject area I wanted to pursue in college and eventually teach. During my last few years of high school, I took a lot of Family and Consumer Sciences classes and was very close with the teacher, who also happened to be my coach. She inspired me to pursue Family and Consumer Sciences Education and has been a great mentor to me even to this day.
Did you teach anywhere before Hudson, and if so, where and how is it different?
I spent the last seven years teaching at Northwest High School in Canal Fulton. That is also where I went to high school, so I think that is one of the biggest differences for me personally. Returning to my hometown high school after college, I already knew most of the staff, many of the families in the district, many of the students in my first few years were friends with my younger brother, etc. This is obviously not the case here at Hudson. Another big difference is the community and school size. Northwest is in a tiny little farm town, and the high school has about 500-600 kids. Hudson is much larger, but I will say I already love how involved the community is.
Why did you decide to teach at a high school level, and have there been any challenges?
I decided to teach at the high school level because, in my subject area, I help students prepare for life after high school. I also feel that my personality and teaching style best fit high school students and their needs.
What is the most accomplishing part of teaching?
For me, the most accomplishing part of teaching is when my students actually apply skills they’ve learned in my class in their lives outside of school. I love hearing about students making our class recipes at home for their families or even using the resume we created together in class to apply for a job. Instances like that reassure me that what I teach is important.
What are your interests outside of teaching?
Outside of school, I enjoy cooking, spending time with my family and friends, biking and taking my dog (Tito) on walks.
Give a piece of advice that you think is important to know.
“Control what you can control.” This advice was instilled in my brothers and I by our late father. He always wanted us to focus on and put full effort into the things in our lives that we could control and have full autonomy of and let go of the things that we couldn’t.
