Ralston High School

EDUCATION

Ph.D., English, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, August 2015

     Focus: Composition, mindful writing instruction, English education, and social justice pedagogy/literacy

     Dissertation: Writing as Practice: A Collaborative Inquiry into Mindful Writing Pedagogy in the Era of Assessment

Master of Arts, English, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, August 2005

     Thesis: What Did You Notice?: The Ecopoetry of Mary Oliver

Bachelor of Arts, English, University of Texas at Austin, August 1995

EXPERIENCE

Secondary instructional coach, Ralston Public Schools, 2014-present

English teacher, Ralston High School, Omaha, Nebraska, 2003-present

Instructor, English Department, University of Nebraska-Omaha, 2007-present

Instructor, College of Education, University of Nebraska-Omaha, 2014-present

Instructor, Graduate and Professional Studies, Buena Vista University, 2011-2013

Instructor, English Department, Iowa Western Community College, 2008

Instructor, English Department, Metropolitan Community College, 2007

Language arts teacher, Louisville (Nebraska) High School, 2002-2003

Language arts teacher, Dominican High School, Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, 1998-2001

Eighth grade teacher, Holy Spirit School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1997-1998

Language arts teacher, Lancaster (Texas) High School, 1996-1997

College teaching experience includes: education, first and second year composition, literature, and creative writing.

High school teaching experience includes: A.P. senior English and composition, American literature, British literature, contemporary literature, composition, creative writing, and speech.

LEADERSHIP POSITIONS

Department chair, English Department, Ralston High School, 2011-2018

Co-director, Nebraska Writing Project, 2009-2013

Coordinator, Omaha Metropolitan Area High School Poetry Festival, 2004-present

GRANTS/AWARDS/HONORS

National Education Association Foundation Learning and Leadership Grant, 2014. 

National Council of Teachers of English Teacher of Excellence Award, 2012.

Nebraska English Language Arts Council Teacher of the Year, 2012.

Ralston Schools Foundation Scholar, 2011-2012.

National Writing Project Urban Sites Network Grant for "Literacy for Social Justice in the Urban Heartland," 2009

NSEA/Blue Cross-Blue Shield Professional Development Fund Scholarship, 2007 and 2008

Ralston Schools Foundation Grant for Omaha Metropolitan Area High School Poetry Festival, 2007

Thesis of the Year nomination for Master’s thesis entitled, “What Did You Notice?: The Ecopoetry of Mary Oliver,” University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 2005

Graduate Research Award for project entitled, “Assessing the Value of Institution-Wide Requirements for Writing Courses,” University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 2002

PRESENTATIONS

“Teaching Rhetorical Action in Local Community,” [With Robert Brooke, Bernice Olivas, and Susan Martens], Rhetoric Society of America, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 2012

“Empowering Voices: Teachers Tell Classroom Stories,” [With Marni Valerio], National Writing Project Urban Sites Network Conference, Tulsa, Oklahoma, April 2012

“Raising Voices Silenced by History: Using Primary Source Documents to Inspire Student Writing,” [With Ben Bates, Linda Christensen, Jeff Grinvalds, and Shanedra Nowell] National Writing Project Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida, November 2010

"'The Urban Justice League': Students Reading and Writing for Social Justice," [With Jeff Grinvalds] National Writing Project Urban Sites Conference, Portland, Oregon, April 2010. 

PUBLICATIONS

"Why Didn't We Know: High School Students Learn, Act, Teach, and Write" in Writing Suburban Citizenship: Place Conscious Education and the Conundrum of Suburbia, Syracuse University Press, Fall 2015.

Editor, What Teaching Means: Stories from America’s Classrooms, Rogue Faculty Press, April 2012

Poetry in: English Journal (May 2014), Trajectory (Fall/Winter 2011), Steam Ticket (Spring 2011), Anderbo.com (Spring 2011), Cream City Review (Fall/Winter 2010-2011), The Hiram Poetry Review (Spring 2007), The Iconoclast (Spring 2007), and Fine Lines (Spring 2006)

“Frontier Life in the Chippewa Valley: Documents from the Father Goldsmith Collection,” University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire McIntyre Library, December 2001

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

National Writing Project, 2006-present

Nebraska Writing Project, 2006-present

Nebraska Writing Project Advisory Board, 2006-2016

Ralston Educators Association, 2003-present

National Educators Association, 2002-present

Nebraska State Educators Association, 2002-present

National Council of Teachers of English, 1996-present