Environmental Stewardship
I love to teach because I love to learn. I went straight from my undergraduate studies in English at Valparaiso University to graduate school at Iowa State University. My MFA program in Creative Writing and Environment emphasized not only the craft of writing but place, culture, geography, and ecology. This interdisciplinary approach led me and several members of my program to develop a place-based composition class grounded in environmental literature and land stewardship. Over the past eight years, I've worked with students ranging in age from first grade to college seniors in both traditional and nontraditional settings. I've taught in a Big Twelve University in Iowa, an environmental education center in western Washington, a remote public school in the Cascade Mountains, and a place-based elementary school in Maine. I believe in learning grounded in ecology, community, and respectful conversation.
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At heart, I am an explorer who loves learning, listening, observing, and absorbing people and places. I’ve driven back and forth across the country half a dozen times--and I prefer roads that are winding and indirect--routes that take me through mountains or small towns. I love meeting strangers, trying new foods, and learning a new region by walking it, running it, working in it, and
living in it. In addition to exploring and teaching, I enjoy trail running, cooking, climbing, writing, listening to podcasts, cross country skiing, making music playlists for friends and family, and hiking in the mountains or along the coast. Recently, I’ve enjoyed reading The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Girl at War by Sara Novic, The Wild Trees by Richard Preston, and No Matter the Wreckage by Sarah Kay.
This class (your class!) was developed by a team of instructors who are passionate about stewardship, service, and helping you find both your place at the Conserve School and your vocation beyond this semester. You will have the opportunity to come out of this course with practical use-able skills ranging from professional communication to trail work, beekeeping to e-portfolio design. I am excited to not only have the opportunity to teach you but to work alongside you and learn from you. It's my hope that we'll form a cohesive and collaborative learning community and that the work we do together will inform our future visions of stewardship and leadership.
I look forward to meeting all of you!
With joy,
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