What is your role at St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic School?
3rd Grade Teacher
What year did you start working at St. Stephen?
2022
Tell us about your education background & about your teaching/work experience.
I graduated from Creighton University in 1990 with my BS in Education. My first 10 years of teaching were at St. Wenceslaus in 5th grade. During that time I worked on my Master’s degree in Language Arts. After receiving my Master’s, I started teaching literature and language to 7th graders at St. Wenceslaus for the next 6 years. I “retired” from being a professional teacher after 16 years when our first daughter was born. I then became a professional mom. I managed to fill my time as a stay-at-home mom. I did lots of volunteering and tutoring. When the girls got older I worked part-time at Metro Stars Gymnastics. I was also a sub at St. Vincent de Paul and worked in the cafeteria. My most interesting job was homeschooling three American children over the Internet while they were living in Dubai. I taught 3 different grades and every subject for one whole semester. I renewed my teaching certificate in 2019, but I ended up deciding that 2020 wouldn’t be the greatest time for me to return to teaching. Last year I taught in the Hi-5 program at HappyFace preschool. It was a fantastic year, and I knew I was ready to be back in the classroom with my own class!
What do you love about your job?
I love that I am contributing to a child becoming a lifelong lover of learning.
Who is your favorite Saint or what is your favorite scripture?
St. Therese of Lisieux and her parents, Sts. Zelie and Louis Martin.
Tell us about your family (spouse, children, grandchildren, pets, etc.):
My husband, Randy, has worked for HDR for 28+ years as an electrical engineer and architect. We were married in 2004 and have two daughters, Claire and Zelie. Claire was born in 2006 and she is a junior at Duchesne. Zelie was born in 2009 and she is a seventh grader at St. Vincent de Paul. My favorite “daughter” is our dog, Bella. She spends most of her time napping and protecting our house from neighbors, squirrels, and bunnies.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be everything. Spy. Flight attendant. Lawyer. Professional gymnast. Doctor. Author. Teacher. Mom. It wasn’t until I started at Creighton that I started to think about education thanks to my amazing advisor. Thank you, Dr. O’Connor!
What is your favorite sweet treat?
An almond milk latte from Scooters. I have several food sensitivities that keep me from eating the “good stuff”.
Do you have any hidden talents or hobbies?
My hidden talent is drawing. I draw really amazing happy faces! The only hobbies I have time for right now are cleaning, grocery shopping, and cooking.
What’s your favorite thing to do on the weekends?
I love watching seasonal sports–Huskers in the fall, Creighton basketball in the winter, and the College World Series in the summer. And, both my daughters are active in extracurricular activities, so I enjoy watching them play soccer, dive, dance, do acro, play the drums, etc…They keep me busy.
What piece of advice would you give parents to help their child(ren) succeed at St. Stephen?
Love them! Always let them know it is okay to make mistakes. Mistakes are the stepping stones to success.
