I am delighted to be a part of the Calvin Christian staff as an ESS/Inclusion teacher!  I graduated from Calvin College in 1987 with a degree in elementary education. Over the years, God has blessed me with the opportunity to teach in several Christian schools.  My first teaching position was teaching 3rd and 4th grades at Heritage Christian School.  After working at Heritage for 4 years, I left teaching for a little while to be home with my oldest child, Brandon.  I went back to Heritage for a part-time position teaching math to a group of 5th graders struggling in math and the following year worked as an inclusive ed. teacher.  God provided a wonderful position for me at Eastside Christian, where I taught preschool/kindergarten for 15 years. This was a great situation for my growing family, and over the years I was even able to teach my 2 youngest kids!

When my children grew a little older, I felt called to go back to Calvin College for my masters in learning disabilities.  Earning my degree in LD was and continues to be a profound joy to me for many reasons.  One reason, which led me to Calvin Middle School, is that I have discovered in my resource room/ESS work that I love working with middle school students!  Prior to taking this position at Calvin, I taught 4 years at Adams Christian School as an ESS/resource room teacher.

Brandon is 24 years old and has recently become engaged, so we look forward to a wedding next summer!  Sam, my middle child,  is 20 and attends Trinity Christian College.  And my youngest child Kate is 16 years old and attends CCHS.  I am passionate about being my kids’ mom, and love attending their concerts, sporting events, and other activities they may be doing.  Some of my other interests are reading, spending time with friends, and walking with the newest family member, our dog Snickers.

Parents, thank you for entrusting your precious kids to our care.  It is a privilege to teach them about God and his world.  It is a humbling and incredible calling to be a teacher and have the opportunity to speak truth into the lives of students –  young people, new in their faith. If I were to contemplate it too long, I’d never start the day because of this amazing responsibility. But God is faithful!  And, it is His power that makes any teaching I do possible.

A favorite passage is 2 Corinthians 4:6-7.

“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”