After I graduated from Wartburg College in the spring of 2014 with endorsements in both math and science, I didn't know which I wanted to focus on when finding a job. Then I landed the 7th Grade Life Science role at Black Hawk Middle School in the spring of 2015 and fell in love. I got to teach content I enjoyed and was interested in, which allowed me to come alive in the classroom. I worked hard to actively engage my students, getting them excited and sparking their interest in science and in school. When it came time to finish my 3 year probationary period and become tenured, I found out that an already tenured teacher was coming back from a leave and would automatically be placed in my position, bumping me from a job. Thankfully, because of my math background and my good reputation as a teacher and colleague, my school hired (and tenured) me as a math teacher.

I came to love teaching math, as well. Math is logical and sequential and it's easy to know when you're on the right track (getting an answer right or wrong is easier to check than trying to explain an abstract concept like in science). However, in my opinion, science provides more opportunity to ask questions, show curiosity, get hands-on, and creatively present information and ideas. So, when a job opened up in the science department at my school, I jumped at the opportunity.

Throughout the moves from grade levels and content areas I've had the opportunity to work with completely new teams of teachers and administrators. Those opportunities allowed for a large amount of growth by working with new colleagues, learning and adopting new curriculum, quickly adapting to new technologies and resources, and strengthening my ability to remain flexible all while maintaining a growth mindset.