Phase 02
My teaching style resonates with Paulo Freire's idea that love must be a belief, not just a sentiment (Freire, 1970). I care deeply about my students, their wellbeing, their future potential, and their success. I am strict and hold high expectations, but I also bring genuine joy and humor into my classroom. The picklemallow, a half-pickle/half-marshmallow creature wearing a crown and holding a scepter, was born on the spot during the same school year I started my Sight Word Club, where students who were assigned 300 sight words insisted they could read a thousand, and many of them did. The absurdity, songs, parodies, and spontaneous silliness weren't separate from the high expectations, they were part of the same belief: that students rise further when they feel safe, joyful, and truly seen, not just pushed. This reflects what Gay (2002) describes as culturally responsive teaching, meeting students where they are while maintaining high expectations for all. A year later, when our school merged with middle school, I added a pirate rubber duck flag to my classroom, a quiet personal reminder to 'teach like a pirate,' to keep teaching what my students actually needed, not just what was handed down from above. Some might see something like a picklemallow as silly or childish, but it is a deliberate tool. It builds the trust and joy that Freire (1970) argues real learning requires, and the results, students far exceeding their own expectations, speak for themselves.
References
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Herder and Herder.
Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2), 106–116.
Hello Dave,
I'm writing this to help make my Phase 1 and Phase 2 images clearer for you, since you'll need to design a lesson based on who I am.
A little about me: I grew up in a close, loving family. My dad worked his way up at Coca-Cola, which eventually brought our family to Santiago de Chile for two and a half years while I was in high school. It was both an amazing and challenging experience. I struggled with the language and making friends, and had two teachers who refused to help me when I needed it most. One told me I'd only ever be a C student. I proved her wrong. I joined the track team and hurdles became my event, a love-hate relationship that perfectly mirrors how I navigate life's obstacles. I either cleared them or crashed into them, but I never quit.
Art and music carried me through school alongside track and horseback riding. I eventually earned a BFA in Graphic Design and later pursued teaching. I am a 13-year veteran teacher, having taught elementary art, first grade, third grade, and now middle school visual arts in Alamogordo, New Mexico, which was not my plan but turned out to be exactly where I was needed.
My faith has been my anchor throughout my life. I was raised with strong morals and values and eventually joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a faith that aligned perfectly with everything I was already raised to believe.
I am a mom of three boys, ages 21, 19, and 11. They are my greatest motivation and have been my light through every difficult chapter of my life. My family, my faith, my husband and my boys are the reason I keep jumping hurdles.
What my Phase 1 image represents: A winding path emerging from an open book (my story still being written), with hurdles of varying ages along the way (past trials already overcome and future ones not yet faced), old doors with brass keys (the different chapters of my life opening at just the right time), and an LDS temple glowing in the distance (my faith as the destination and the constant). I am someone who has faced real trials but refuses to be defined by them.
What my Phase 2 image represents: The picklemallow, a half-pickle, half-marshmallow wearing a crown and holding a scepter, riding a pirate rubber duck while eating a taco, is the mascot I created spontaneously in a first grade classroom. That same year I started the Sight Word Club. I told my students they needed to read 300 sight words by the end of the year. One little girl stood up and said 'That's too easy, we can read a thousand!' The whole class agreed. I said 'Don't tell me, show me.' Every single student exceeded their goal. Students with IEP goals of 50 words read 150. Nine students hit 1,000. The picklemallow was born from that same energy: high expectations AND genuine joy, laughter, and creative chaos held together. The rubber duck comes from my pirate rubber duck flag, my quiet reminder to teach what my students actually need, not just what's mandated from above.
I am right-brained, creative, spontaneous, dramatic, and deeply committed to my students. I push them hard and love them fiercely. I'm still figuring out what that looks like with middle schoolers, but that's just another hurdle I'm working on.
I hope this helps you get to know me a little better. I'm looking forward to seeing what you design!