Working with kids has been the story of my life. At a very young age I would line up my dolls and toys to teach them lessons. When my younger brother and sister would cooperate, I always found ways to practice my teaching skills on them. Many of the strategies and skills I used back then were modeled from the Catholic education I received at St. John LaLande in Blue Springs, Missouri. The eight years in that Catholic faith-based setting helped form the person I am today.
It seems so long ago, when I was playing school, and now those days have turned to years of teaching and learning with children. I started teaching at Pleasant Hill, MO; it is a suburb town of Kansas City. I taught remedial math and language arts in the middle school. After three years of remedial, I transitioned into a sixth grade classroom. I worked with sixth graders until I moved to the Jefferson City area. I followed my parents after they retired back to their hometown of Freeburg. When I first moved to Linn, I took a one year position at Our Lady of the Snows in Mary’s Home teaching a combined third and fourth grade classroom. In 1996, I accepted a teaching position at Linn Elementary, where I taught fifth, sixth, and Title 1 reading throughout the years until I retired in 2017.
My retirement led me to St. George. I am reminded of Proverbs 16:9, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” I am blessed that my steps have led me to St. George where I can continue my teaching and learning with children in a Catholic faith-based setting. I feel so welcomed and look forward to working with the families at St. George.
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