Content: Health and Physical Education
School: Knollwood Meadows Elementary
Years Taught: 17

Why are you passionate about supporting fellow teachers?
I am a teacher, inherently, which means that my desire and abilities to teach are not just bound by my specific classroom or age group of students. I also find it gratifying to enhance and encourage my peers to be the best versions of who they are, just as I appreciate those who have done the same for me in my career.

What do you love most about teaching?
I absolutely love having the honor and privilege of influencing young people in more ways than just my content area. If I can encourage a student to grow positively as a person (and not just an athlete) I've done my job well. Life is about so much more than the academics in our head or the skills we show with our hands; it's about hearts and the why behind what we do and who we are, and I believe teaching serves as the greatest career to foster every area of that!

Content: Health and Physical Education
School: Palmer Elementary
Years Taught: 6

Why are you passionate about supporting fellow teachers?
I know how it can be as a new teacher with little support or guidance, so I like to help people avoid the hardship of figuring things out "the hard way".

What do you love most about teaching?
Seeing the kids smiling, laughing, and enjoying a lesson.

What word best describes you as a teacher and why?
Creative. I love thinking outside the box and putting my own spin on lessons that I see online to make them better fit my population. I also do pretty well at "going with the flow' and adjusting on the fly, as needed.

Content: Health and Physical Education
School: B.C Charles Elementary
Years Taught: 13

What word best describes you as a teacher and why?
The word that best describes me as a teacher is dynamic. I crave change and am full of energy, so I like to keep my students engaged with different workout styles, music, stations, and activities. One minute we are doing slow breathing techniques, and in another minute we could be doing a freestyle dance. One day we could be reinforcing reading & math skills incorporated into physical fitness stations, and the next we could be doing a relay race to teach food groups. I like to keep things fresh and exciting.

Why do you love working in NNPS?
I love working in NNPS because I feel I am trusted as an educator to meet my students’ needs. I am given guidance, but also creative freedom to meet the standards. I feel supported in NNPS by my administration, colleagues, and the HPE department.