What Brought You to AHS? –Becoming a teacher was a bit of an unexpected career shift for me. Prior to teaching at American Heritage, I produced a regular history podcast that had initially just been a hobby. When a homeroom teacher position opened unexpectedly in the middle of a school year, an old friend and fellow teacher helped introduce me to the school and the rest was history. It was a miraculous series of events that landed me here and I’m deeply grateful.
Curriculum highlight —I get pretty enthusiastic about history and love to take a “living history” approach. I focus on the first-person perspective of history and try to incorporate experiential activities and games to make history more accessible. History should be engaging, fun, and applicable to life; the study of history is one of the best tools for the development of critical thinking and empathy.
Why teaching? — Teaching is my dream job. While I’m deeply obsessed with history and can’t believe I get paid to talk about it, I don’t teach for the subject. One of the most rewarding experiences of my life is to develop connections with students and watch them learn and grow. I also get to learn from and alongside them.
Hobbies — Besides reading and podcasting about history or playing history-related board games, I love nearly anything related to the outdoors: camping, rock climbing, hiking, canyoneering, whitewater rafting, and eating granola.
Why do you love teaching at AHS? — Our mission statement says that the school is there to support parents in the education of their families. There’s a real sense of mutual support and teamwork between the administration, faculty, and school families. I also love the academic rigor and the respect for faith and spirituality. Teaching in a building that has the two great commandments inscribed on the wall of the building is pretty amazing.
