I am a writer. I'm re-invigorating this website just to say so, once and for all, loud and clear.

I am a writer.

I've loved to write for decades now, but I haven't had the courage to admit it. Head over to the writing corner of this site to hear more about this journey.

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I am from the United States. [Side note: I'm trying to re-train my brain to stop saying "I'm an American," because it excludes Canadians, Mexicans, Central Americans, and South Americans. They have every bit the same claim to be "American," yet when we in the United States say it, we are implying (intentionally or not) that we are the only Americans who matter. Although américain and americano are also used in French and Spanish respectively, those languages also have the beautiful adjective forms étatsunisien (sounds like tunisien, as a Tunisian once pointed out to me) and estadounidense. Until "Unitedstatesian" catches on in English, I'll happily settle for the prepositional phrase instead.]

 

So, anyway, I am from the United States. I am a woman with the pronouns she/her. My native language is English. I am white, and I benefit from white privilege as well as class privilege.

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I am 35 years old this week. To say "I am a 35-year-old woman" makes me sound impossibly boring. Do you want to click away to something flashier yet? I am proud of every year I've been given here on Planet Earth, and I hope that feeling never goes away. I'd be lying if I said turning 35 didn't feel significant, though, and not necessarily in the most festive way.

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I teach ESOL to grades K-2 at Cougar Elementary School in Manassas Park, Virginia, USA. ESOL means English for Speakers of Other Languages - it's also often called ESL. It means I have the great privilege to spend my days with incredible 4- through 9-year-olds who are learning English alongside another (or several other) language(s). I believe education, especially ESOL, is one of the most interesting and important careers in the world!

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I am passionate about language learning and cultural diversity. In college, I majored in French and anthropology. My French degree helped me understand firsthand the challenges and benefits of communicating in another language. Studying anthropology taught me about inequality and the relationship between language and culture. Teaching ESOL already brings these interests together. In 2018, however, I embarked on a new adventure that would knit these academic interests, as well as my lifelong love of travel, into my teaching practice.

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In 2018-2019, I was honored to receive the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms fellowship. This program connects educators from across the United States and trains them to teach from a global perspective. To learn more about this incredible program, click on "Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms" in the menu bar. The highlight by far was my International Field Experience, a teacher exchange trip to Colombia!

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I live about 30 miles away from Washington, DC, the capital city of the United States. I've lived in multiple different states and have called lots of places "home," including Seattle, Chicago, and North Carolina. I also love to travel, whether to visit faraway family and friends or to meet new friends along the way. In my free time I love cuddling with my rescue dogs Molly and Ellie, trying new restaurants with my husband, and sharing stories with friends over coffee (or, these days, Zoom).