I hold an Associates of Arts degree and Gender Studies Certificate from Century College, and a Bachelors degree in Women's Studies and in Social Justice from Hamline University. I use my studies every day in the classroom, and every time I write a lesson plan.
At present, I work two jobs in the education field.
I am the Assistant Director of Religious Education at White Bear Unitarian Universalist Church. In this position, I write curriculum, coordinate volunteers, and send out communication. My curriculum follows the same monthly themes reflected in the sermons and discussions going on in the congregation at large. For each lesson, I consider whose story is being centered, whose voice is invited to lead, and how power is distributed.
In more recent years, I helped bring about a culture shift away from a separation by generation -- that is, instead of keeping the children in classrooms with parent volunteers while adults sat in the sanctuary, we moved towards multigenerational programming options. Adults without young children were invited to teach classes so that parents could enjoy the service, and more kid-friendly elements were incorporated into adult programming.
The philosophy behind this is that children are as fully interested in tackling life's big questions as adults are. Children are not future-adults; they are complete beings at every stage and must be honored as such.
At present, I work two jobs in the education field.
I am the Assistant Director of Religious Education at White Bear Unitarian Universalist Church. In this position, I write curriculum, coordinate volunteers, and send out communication. My curriculum follows the same monthly themes reflected in the sermons and discussions going on in the congregation at large. For each lesson, I consider whose story is being centered, whose voice is invited to lead, and how power is distributed.
In more recent years, I helped bring about a culture shift away from a separation by generation -- that is, instead of keeping the children in classrooms with parent volunteers while adults sat in the sanctuary, we moved towards multigenerational programming options. Adults without young children were invited to teach classes so that parents could enjoy the service, and more kid-friendly elements were incorporated into adult programming.
The philosophy behind this is that children are as fully interested in tackling life's big questions as adults are. Children are not future-adults; they are complete beings at every stage and must be honored as such.
I also teach PreK in the White Bear Lake school district. I bring much the same philosophy to the PreK classroom as I do to religious education programming: children deserve to be taught tools that will serve them as they tackle the very real "adult" problems that touch their lives. My students learn their letters and numbers, but they also learn how to name and process their feelings, how to welcome newcomers into the circle, and how to be curious rather than fearful when confronted with someone they categorize as different.
Other Projects
- 2018-2019 I worked as a research assistant to Dr. Valerie Chepp of Hamline University selecting readings for a social justice anthology.
- On Sunday, Nov 24 2019 I led a service at White Bear Unitarian Universalist Church with Rev. Jack. He and I traveled to the Philippines in October 2019 on a pilgrimage to meet other UUs. Follow this link to listen to a recording of my talk.
