Professional Biography
In 1996, I graduated from Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa, with a B.A. in English and Secondary Education. I am certified to teach English for grades 7-12. I have been teaching middle school English at Ontario Christian School since 1996.
Personal Biography
Prior to teaching at Ontario Christian, I lived in a variety of states, including Montana, Iowa, and Arizona. Living in California is a real joy, as I love the weather and the opportunities it provides. I attend CrossPoint CRC and enjoy singing in one of their praise teams. Often I can be found attending the extra-curricular activities of both my current and former students, especially sporting events and concerts. The biggest blessing about teaching middle school is seeing my students grow not only academically, mentally, and physically, but also emotionally and spiritually. God is so faithful!
Philosophical Biography
God has given me a passion for ministering to His covenant children, a task that I take very seriously. First and foremost, God has called us to live in relationship with Him and with the body of believers; I am blessed daily by working with the young people that the Lord places in my classroom every year. The philosophy of the English department is as follows: All language is created by God. It is patterned and ordered and reveals a God who loves variety and creativity. God is sovereign over language and employs it to communicate with his creation through the Bible, thereby setting up a means of communication through speaking and writing. Students who encounter the Ontario Christian curriculum will experience, recognize, practice, and apply those facets of language to their communication with the world. Studying language arts will equip them with the tools necessary to transform a sinful society by communicating their worldview in a clear, concise way. All creation became sinful through the fall of Adam, including language, so discernment is needed to identify literature that is not God-glorifying. Christians must recognize that all authors present a worldview to their readers and that care must be taken to identify these worldviews clearly. No writing is neutral in its stance on God€” it either proclaims Christ’s Lordship over the world or denies it. The redemption of language is displayed in the common grace God gives freely to all, as well as in the special/redemptive grace given to believers. As recipients of this redemptive grace, Christians are not to ignore mainstream and/or classic literature but instead search for the common grace God gives to all humankind in the talents bestowed on authors, allowing students to recognize God in a fallen, sinful world. Additionally, as Reformed Christians, it is essential not only to recognize the sinful worldviews presented in literature, but also to interpret and evaluate them in accordance with God’s word. In the same way, the writing penned by Christians, including students, must clearly present a worldview that boldly declares God’s sovereignty and his Lordship over all aspects of creation.
