What is your background?
My work in education began in Northern Thailand 15 years ago. That year, I took the GRE in chemistry and planned to start a career as a chemist, but I appreciated the relationships with my Thai colleagues and students so much that teaching science seemed like a perfect fit – and it was! I completed my master’s degree and teaching credential at Stanford and taught high school science in the San Francisco Bay Area. Eager to learn more, I went back to graduate school and completed my PhD in education, during which I worked on a project-based curriculum for middle school students. After graduate school, I helped to develop a new, proficiency-based master’s program for pre-service teachers in Cambridge, MA. My partner is an assistant professor at UVM, and in order to be together and live in Vermont, I settled here full-time in June. Just before joining Winooski MHS, I was working as a research associate for the Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education at UVM.
Why are you excited to be in Winooski?
My cultural curiosity and social justice orientation have been drivers for all the places where I have worked, Winooski included. I share the school district’s appreciation of cultural diversity, commitment to preparing all students for college and careers, and developing proficiencies like critical thinking and well-being that are needed to thrive in a democracy. I am excited about the inspiring examples of community-based learning that I have already heard about: student Iron Chefs hosting a dinner at Waterworks, students getting marketing advice from professionals in the Winooski community, and an interdisciplinary project with Circus Smirkus. There is a strong and innovative foundation on which to build a program.
What is Community Based Learning?
Community-Based Learning (CBL) includes all types of learning that connect to the community, including, but not limited to internships, projects with community partners, job shadowing, feedback from community members, etc. All of these learning experiences break down barriers between school and the community, which makes for more authentic and meaningful learning than many of us might have experienced when we were in school. Whether CBL be internships that lead to unimagined career trajectories or community-based projects that solve real problems, I look forward to working with students, teachers, and community members to provide inspiring learning experiences for Winooski Middle High School students!