About

I was raised in Albuquerque, NM. After graduating with a degree in medieval history from the University of New Mexico and a degree in secondary education from the College of Santa Fe, I took off and moved to Normandy, France for six months as an au pair. There, I lived with a family with two kids, ages six and four.

Upon my return from France I realized that I had changed so much that I could no longer stay in Albuquerque. With that, I decided one morning I needed to move. I drove north on I-25 out of the city and wasn’t quite sure where I was going, but I had narrowed my decision down to Denver or Seattle. I figured I could get to Denver that afternoon, so that was it. 26 years later, 21 of those years teaching at the same school, I still call the Denver area my home.

I have taught a variety of subjects and performance levels in my years at Dakota Ridge High School and recently started working more closely with at-risk students. The challenge is, in many ways, not unlike working with advanced students: both are hungry, but neither is sure hungry for what. I spend each year trying to figure out what will feed each new group of student. Sometimes I find it. Other years, I can see my students craving for meaning and purpose hardly satiated.

I have always looked for an excuse to write, and while at a workshop with George Couros, I realized that this blog was the next level in my craft as a teacher. As I noted in my first post, if I want me students to take risks and reflect, then I need to as well.