I grew up just outside of Council Bluffs, Iowa where I spent a lot of time climbing steep bluffs and riding my Huffy. I moved to Decorah after high school to attend Luther College, where I later graduated with a B.A. in Spanish and Education. I was a four-year member of the Norse wrestling team.

 

I have taught English as a Foreign Language in Mexico and Peru. I lived in Guanajuato, Mexico for a semester in college where I attended the University and taught English classes. After college, I moved to Trujillo, Perú. I spent 6 months teaching at El Cultural English Institute, and 3 months traveling around the country as a vagabond.

 

I worked a year at Omaha Central High in Nebraska, and 8 years at Spring Grove School in MN. I've also taught several evening Spanish classes to adults at Arthaus in Decorah, IA. This is my fourth year teaching at MFL MarMac.

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I attend language teaching conferences conferences while regularly presenting to and coaching other teachers in best-practices and strategies to make language comprehensible and engaging. My main focus is how to optimally co-create stories with my students that capture their incredible imaginations while immersing them in rich, natural language.

 

I spend most of my time with my 8 year old son Eben (who loves Harry Potter, riding bike, and Minecraft) and my 4 year old daughter Campbell (who loves My Little Pony and unicorns). I enjoy riding my bikes in the hills of Decorah, and gardening.