I am an English teacher at a residential school for traumatized girls. In my spare time, I take care of my two children solo. My son is 20 and participates in 15th-century German longsword fighting. My 16-year-old daughter participates in 4-H as a shooting instructor and also raises dairy cows. While that isn't all exactly about me, my life revolves around my job and chauffeuring those two around. :) However, in my spare time, I do hang out with my somewhat geeky friends, creating art, playing board games, or roleplaying. It's a pretty blessed life.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

As part of my job, I have to engage in professional development activities. These conferences, symposiums, and workshops often happen somewhere that makes a commuting drive either unpleasant or impossible for me. As a teacher, I have to be frugal with my spending, so finding awesome couchsurfing hosts is a reasonable way for me to make my trips more budget-friendly. It also forces me out of my introvert bubble and makes me interact with people when not in a workshop.

Interests

• singing
• board games
• reading
• puzzles
• watching movies
• shooting
• creative writing

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Albannach; Viktoria Modesta; Johnny Hollow; Evanescence; Loreena McKennitt; Green Day; Indigo Girls (and many more)
Movies: Anything superhero related (Marvel or DC); The Matchmaker; Star Trek; Hunger Games; Maze Runner; DaVinci Code; Push; John Carter; Twilight (don't judge me); The Man in the Iron Mask; Brave; Lord of the Rings; Maleficent (and many more)
Books: Mortal Instruments series; Maximum Ride series; Harry Potter series; Twilight series; Percy Jackson series; The Importance of Being Earnest; Congo; It; The Eyes of the Dragon; Dracula; A Wrinkle in Time; The Dresden Files series (and many more)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've had the opportunity to speak at a number of educational confernces on transformational learning, such as the High School Redesign in Action conference (twice), the Best Practices Conference (twice), and the 31st Learning Differences Conference (at Harvard).
Here's one of the programs...
http://webiva-downton.s3.amazonaws.com/342/32/0/2636/ConferenceProgram_004.pdf

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach Zentangling and how to make leather armor (if you ask me to bring supplies with me). I can also bring interesting games, such as Galaxy Trucker (if you're interested in learning about new games), Castle Panic, and Munchkin.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm not exactly sure how this section is different than the "Teach, Learn, Share" section... I can share my dessert-making skills, I guess (in addition to the other bits of knowledge mentioned above). I'm also happy to proofread anything! I'm frequently called on by friends and family as the English teacher in the group to give their work a second set of eyes.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States