What year did you start working at Baker?
2010
What do you like best about working at Baker?
The best thing about working at Baker is that Baker believes in children. For early childhood, the importance of play (and the realization that play is the work of children) is central to everything we do. I can provide an individualized curriculum that is responsive to the needs of children and their development, not one that is prescribed and forced on them.
Where did you earn your degree(s)?
B.S., Colorado State University; M.Ed, Erikson Institute
What is the greatest gift you hope to bestow upon your students?
As students and learners, I want preschool to be the place where they begin to develop the Habits of Mind: Persisting, Managing Impulsivity, Listening with Understanding and Empathy … the list of these 16 habits sets the stage for lifelong learning. As people, I want preschool to support identity exploration and formation, to be a place that helps them understand who they are… as individuals, as family members, as community members, as citizens.
What is a fun fact about yourself?
I love old houses, abandoned buildings and have an innate curiosity about their stories. I am planning a road trip to southwest Michigan in the fall to take a driving tour of homes and locations that were once part of the Underground Railroad. Another example is the Uptown Theater in Chicago, which opened in 1925 and closed in 1981. Though it has been sitting empty for decades, a restoration plan is in the works and I can’t wait to be able to get inside and see it!
