Jesus Christ and I are engaged in a marriage of inequality. Despite a deep love for my Savior, I have been an unfaithful partner. Our relationship is held together only through the bonds of His grace and mercy. In all His unconditional, perfect love for me, Christ requires only that I try to show faithfulness to His kingdom. Even with my brokenness, I believe that Christ has given me gifts that allow me to reach towards this goal of serving His world. The gift of teaching has allowed me to view our broken world with a new perspective. Though all of creation has been distorted, it still remains an intentional plan of Christ. Through the lens of English Language Arts, I try to teach students to articulate how they see these disjointed pieces fitting together for the benefit of God’s kingdom. 

Furthermore, Christ’s unconditional love for me is a reminder of my relationship with students. Through Christ’s gifts I aim to show love to my students that reflects a Christ-like devotion for His loved ones. My relationship with Christ gives me the opportunity to keep encouraging students when they struggle or even give up on a lesson; to offer guidance in the midst of crisis; to offer a second chance to students when they need one. Christ refuses to let my unfaithfulness hinder our relationship; time and time again, Jesus has shown that He refuses to give up on me. To the best of my ability, I vow to show the same devotion to my students.

I graduated from Calvin College in 2013 with a BA in Secondary Education with an English major and psychology minor. I’ve known I wanted to be a teacher since high school, and I was excited to begin my classroom teaching experiences at Calvin. These semesters were essential to a growth in not only my teaching, but also for my love of students. My teaching experiences at Calvin include aiding in a 7th and 8th grade Language Arts class at Ridge Park Charter Academy and student teaching Freshman Lit. & Grammar, Speech, and Creative Writing at Calvin Christian High School. While at college, I also worked as an officer for Calvin Campus safety. 

I began teaching at Ada Christian in 2013. Currently, I am having a blast teaching 7th & 8th grade LA as well as 8th grade Bible.

I was born and raised in the tiny, charming town of Byron Center, MI. There, I was lucky enough to attend Christian schools including Byron Center Christian and South Christian High School. The gift of this education was given by my two wonderful, supportive parents. My parents raised me to love Christ above all, and to appreciate the beauty of our world. My father’s love of teaching high school students also inspired me in my journey to become a teacher myself. My parents live in Byron Center with my little brother, who knows way more about sports than I do.

Currently, I live in Grand Rapids. In my spare time, I love to read, work on my writing, play soccer, and play with our greyhound, Murray. I’ve painted condos every summer since I was 13, which I also think is somewhat of a precursor to becoming a teacher.