CONTRIBUTIONS

I am convinced there is no way to accurately measure the impact of an educator. However I do believe the items below highlight some of my contributions as well as my passion for public education.

Curriculum Development
With increased focus on assessment it is important to have curriculum that is innovative and inspiring. I have created curriculum across a breadth of disciplines, integrating the Common Core State Standards in Math and English Language Arts as well as national standards for Family and Consumer Sciences. I have led curriculum development teams and helped guide future teachers as they embark on creating lessons to meet the needs of a diverse learning population. I have worked with school districts from elementary to high school and univeristies in Finland and the United States.

The Perception of Teaching as a Profession Amongst Finnish Adolescents

Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teacher Research

January - May 2024

My research proposal was based on the question How is teaching as a career perceived among Finnish youth? My goal through this experience is to fill a gap in designing grow-your-own teacher programs. Research in the past has focused on the lack of teacher candidates, but has not looked at the perceptions of high school students of teaching as a profession. Finland is well known for recruiting high quality candidates to the education profession. I believe acquiring information on how Finland
promotes education among their youth and how those youth choose their career path could be crucial to creating a curriculum map that can be used to encourage young people in America to pursue a career in education.

Image opens digital report in new window.

Baking and Pastry Arts

2015 - present

As a response to student requests, I was tasked with creating advanced curriculum for students to explore the world of European pastries. With a focus on vocabulary acquisition and skill attainment, students work through six units, designed to mirror the instruction of higher level pastry schools. Students are encouraged to recreate products exploring the scientific reactions that create a successful result. In preparation for this course, I completed courses at The French Pastry School, Chicago.

Invitation to Teach Honors

2011 - present

Collaborating with professors and colleagues around the country has allowed me to create a unique college level learning experience for Invitation to Teach Honors students. The goals include the acquisition of employable skills, acquiring teaching competencies, developing community partnerships and leadership. Students intern in community classrooms; planning and teaching lessons, designing assessments, researching education topics, writing a Philosophy of Education, reflecting on video evidence of their teaching and culminating in the creation of a digital portfolio. This program allows students to determine if teaching is the right career path for them in a supported environment prior to graduating from high school. My passion for this course has led me to collect data from program graduates in an effort to further my hypothesis that education systems should focus on high school students as potential future educators in an effort to recruit and retain supported quality educators. The full survey can be accessed HERE.

Common Core Curricular Alignment

2012-2013

District-wide initiative to align curriculum with CCSS. I led the team to align Creative Cooking 1 curriculum with Math and English Language Arts Standards. Image opens alignment documentation.