UW-La Crosse
Associate Teaching Professor
Early Childhood Education
I am in my third year at UW-L, where I teach early childhood courses, including Introduction to Early Childhood Education, Curriculum and Assessment in ECE, Family, School and Community Partnerships, and EC field. A resident of beautiful Minnesota, I have spent the past thirty years working in the field of early childhood education in a variety of capacities. For many of those years, I worked in a program called Early Childhood Family Education, a MN state-wide program, where I taught in a 4k classroom, facilitated parent education classes, oversaw program operations, and worked with local childcare providers and private preschools. While I am a resident of Minnesota, I am a Wisconsinite at heart, earning my undergraduate degree from UW-Stout. I earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Minnesota State University Moorhead and a doctorate in Early Childhood from Walden University in Minneapolis. I am passionate about all things early childhood, particularly the impact of poverty on learning, toxic stress, and family engagement in learning.
Teaching and Learning Philosophy
I am a student-centered educator who strives to engage students in relevant, hands-on learning experiences. I endeavor to facilitate critical thinking as students investigate and apply content in a way that is meaningful to them. I encourage students to consider alternatives and to engage in respectful dialogue in order to fully understand the unique perspectives and experiences of their classmates. I am committed to a strong and inclusive classroom community and walk into every class period committed to modeling care and concern for others, enthusiasm for the content, and an appreciation for the opportunity to learn together.
