Why did you become an educator?
I want to contribute to making the city I live in to be happy and healthy. I believe good schools are necessary for a happy and healthy city. I believe good teachers are necessary for good schools. So I wanted to become a good teacher.

What’s your favorite part about being an educator?

I love creating experiences for students to understand something new about the world. There is usually a series of steps needed for a student to gain competence with a skill—and that competence makes them feel great—and I nerd out trying to plan these progressions in better and better order and pace. The more successful, the more discovery;  the more discovery, the more wonder for them and the more joy for me.

What makes your approach to teaching unique?

I believe in working together as teachers. Collaboration has a long way to go in our profession, but I take pride in engaging teachers across content areas and getting them to tell me about what they do and why they love their subject area. This creates excellent points for connection and overlap between classes. This makes the day for a student a bit less fractured, as they go from class to class talking about wildly different material.

How has TEC helped you in your career as an educator?
I am always looking for a place for teachers to connect over the principles of our profession. I love hearing stories from other school and age-group and discipline experiences. There is so much to learn from each other, and we do not have enough spaces for these conversations at our schools. TEC has given me many chances to engage with others and learn from them—other times to take a breath and have a drink together.

Education:
Southern Methodist University

• BS, Civil Engineering

• MS, Applied Sciences

Texas A&M Commerce

• MEd, Curriculum & Instruction

Leadership:
Resident, Dallas Teacher Residency