Q: Why did you go into teaching?
A: I was inspired to go into teaching by mother, who was (and still is) an elementary school. My siblings and I would help her set up her classroom all the time and spent a lot of time there. I really enjoyed these experiences, her stories about working with students, and more. When I was in high school, I also was inspired to teach by two of my high school teachers: my high school Chemistry teacher and an English teacher that I had for accelerated English. Ms. Butitta, my Chem. teacher, was probably the best teacher I ever had. Be knew her content backwards and forwards, could always think of a new way to explain things to students, and truly cared about her students as people. She stayed with me into the night once, so I could finish a big lab in AP Chem. We talked about life, family, work, and more the whole time. I will never forget some of the stories we told each other. My English teacher, Ms. Parker really got me back into reading in high school. She was incapable of sugar coating some of the challenging literature we read and expected her students to be mature enough to deal with mature topics. She was sharp-tongued and hilarious, which has definitely shaped how I teach difficult topics in my own classroom.
Q: Why did you choose that department to go into?
A: I loved reading as kid and sort of regained this love in high school. I enjoyed engaging with ideas from philosophy, different social issues, working with language, etc., really getting into the depth of texts. This influenced me in going to college for English, where I tried to take as varied of literature and writing classes as I could. I wanted to be able get kids to read deeply and find enjoyment in reading and writing, or to at least see the value in these things. I want to help kids also develop their own ideas about politics or other areas and to see the connection between the world around them and literacy.
Q: What did you do before coming to RAHS?
A: RAHS is my first teaching job, and this is my eighth year teaching here. Before starting, I worked at Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream on State Street in Madison during college and at a Culver’s during high school. I attended UW Madison for bachelor’s degree in English Literature from 2013 to 2016 and then earned a master’s degree in education there during 2016 and 2017.
Q: What is the difference between Reedsburg and the other places you have lived/taught, community wise?
A: I grew up in Delavan, Wisconsin, which is also a rural town based around agriculture. However, the population was pretty different than Reedsburg, with about 50% of students being Latino and speaking Spanish. Similarly, I lived in Madison all through college and student taught at different schools there. Similarly, I would say that the schools there were more diverse racially, ethnically, and in terms of the religious faiths of the students there. I have learned that different communities have different barriers in terms of students accessing their education. Different people have different needs, and I have had to adjust how I engage with kids here to account for this.
Q: What classes do you teach and which one is your favorite?
A: I teach English 10 and Advanced Composition and sometimes have an SLC.
Q: Why is that class your favorite to teach?
A: My favorite class is probably English 10 because I really like this age group of students. They’re both more mature and comfortable in their skin than younger students. The things I love to teach, like Shakespeare, teaching writing related to social issues, etc., require kids to be able to discuss difficult topics, consider opposing opinions respectfully, and sometimes be willing to share their own experiences. Personality-wise, I think tenth graders are ready to do these things, and my sense of humor is a good match for them.
Q: What is one fact you want our community to know about you?
A: I love connecting with students both as their teacher but also as the Key Club advisor. With Key Club, I go into the community with high school students to help people who need it, which I love doing. Schools should feel integrated into the community at large as much as possible.
