Madison, Wisconsin, United States
While my life has followed a non-linear path, I have had a rich variety of experiences that have helped me develop an ability to work in a variety of settings and make connections between disparate fields. I am intimately acquainted with education and community building in a variety of settings at home and abroad: raising a family, volunteering and teaching in schools, working with nonprofits, conducting ethnographic research and fieldwork, and studying, teaching, and applying mindfulness in various contexts. My experiences as a teacher, parent, anthropologist, and meditation teacher provide me with a well-developed knowledge and skill base on which to continue to work and study to find and create sustainable solutions to the pressing challenges facing our schools and communities. Recently I returned to the classroom as a teacher and have been teaching French in rural and online settings. At the heart of my teaching is an emphasis on creating meaningful and mindful connections and a space where my students feel safe, where they belong, and where they can learn and succeed. Drawing from my background and training in mindfulness, anthropology, and education, I have implemented activities and lessons that help students connect to themselves, to their communities, and to the world around them. I believe that an integral and often forgotten part of the educational ecosystem is the connective heart space that provides students, teachers, and families an ability to tap into a deep wellspring of strength, inner wisdom, and resilience. These connections can provide a way to create sustainable educational systems that foster well-being and transformative learning.
-Designed lessons for grades 8-12 in beginning to advanced French for online school -Emphasized Francophone culture and SEL to help reflect and support the students in each class -Effectively utilized technology to teach online and support diverse learning needs and situations -Communicated regularly with students to develop a greater sense of connection to class and to improve engagement -Collaborated with colleagues to provide optimal teaching and support to families and students
Lead various group sessions and workshops in schools and health care settings centered on principles and techniques of mindfulness, stress reduction, and social-emotional skills and strategies
-Assisted professor in graduate anthropology course including grading student papers, projects and class discussions -Coordinated praxis-based learning project with a non-profit working on immigration legal services -Communicated regularly with students and professor to ensure supportive and successful learning and completion of coursework
-Developed curricula at five levels of instruction from middle school and high school students -Emphasized underrepresented Francophone cultures and social-emotional learning. to help reflect and support the students in each class Develop culturally-relevant instruction which values and represents the ideas, experiences, and perspectives of the student body and school community. o Guide students through challenging tasks and encourage self-advocacy as they realize their strengths, areas for growth, and learning styles. o Integrate 21st century skills into standards-based instruction by effectively utilizing and modeling both Microsoft and Google products. -Communicated regularly with students to develop a greater sense of connection to class and to improve engagement -Collaborated with colleagues to provide optimal teaching and support to families and students
-Substitute teacher in grades pre-K to high school across all subject areas, academic levels, and diverse cultural backgrounds -Communicated with teachers and parents to ensure learning goals were achieved -Adapted quickly and creatively to develop positive rapport with students -Designed lessons following school curriculum and maintained consistency, engagement, and language development during placements while in a long-term substitute French teacher position in 2015 and 2016