Educator

I have taught for the last ten years in public education in British Columbia. I have learned with students grades four through seven. I work with students to build understanding in hands-on and creative ways. I try to think outside the box whenever possible and I encourage my students to do the same. I am not afraid to admit my mistakes and I am always excited to try something new. I love working with colleagues both digitally and in person. This website is a place for me to share some of my learning as well as books I recommend to help kids explore challenging topics.

Author

I have always been a writer. When I was in elementary school, I wrote long stories that were often a little creepy. I was inspired by The Mysteries of Harris Burdick as well as paintings by artists like Emily Carr to explore unusual plot twists while creating pictures in minds. Then as I got older and more ‘reasonable’, writing faded while other dreams took hold. I became an educator and my writing was focused on elaborate unit plans or short stories to help with teaching. I am a storyteller and in January of 2021, my students challenged me to be brave with my storytelling. So I started to write again and found my voice. My stories jump between topics of social justice, environmentalism, and hope. Though the topics and target ages shift, the focus is clear: I am trying to bring visibility to topics I feel are important. I have fallen in love with the picture book format, which does not surprise me as I use picture books extensively as anchor texts in my teaching.

Environmentalist

I grew up in North Vancouver surrounded by trees. I had no idea how lucky I was. As I went through school, I learned about human impacts on the environment and a great deal of my undergraduate degree was spent exploring climate change. Now that I am an educator and a mother, it feels even more important to me that the environment and mitigating human impacts be part of what I represent. Am I perfect? No! Am I trying? Yes. For me, it is a case of progress not perfection. What I choose to teach, talk about, and do are guided by the fact I want our world to be healthy and I want it to be able to support all life on our planet. We only have one.

Social Justice Advocate

Everyone belongs in my writing, in my life, and in my classroom. I am learning daily about my privilege and what I can do to support marginalized groups. The big topics that I am currently exploring in my classroom and/or writing are:

• Marginalized or Forgotten History: Canadian history is full of examples of immigrants, indigenous people, and other minorities being discriminated against. As Canadians, we must all continue to learn and face this truth in order to work towards reconciliation. Throughout my teaching, I have made it a goal to educate students and families about forgotten history. This goal allowed me to connect deeply with two families that shared personal stories. One family had a relative on the Komagata Maru and the other family was a victim of Japanese Internment during WW2. These two topics have become the basis for two stories that I have written.

• LGBTQ2+: Gender identity and sexual preference are used as a basis of discrimination. It is wrong. It is harmful. It must end. Every single person or type of family is welcome in my classroom and my life. I will learn your preferred pronouns and do what I can to be an ally.

• Women’s Health/Fertility Challenges: Infertility. Endometriosis. Period poverty. Lack of access to proper healthcare. Lack of belief from medical professionals. Women’s health has been marginalized and made invisible. It makes people of all ages uncomfortable to talk about the menstrual cycle, which makes it almost impossible for kids to understand anything about it! It is my goal in both teaching and writing to start challenging conversations that help normalize diverse topics.

• Visibility in Literature: I work very hard to read novels and picture books that represent a diverse group of people. When students see themselves or their families reflected in the literature, it can have a powerful impact. What a teacher chooses to NOT share or represent also has a profound impact. I am always looking at literature with a critical eye and using an amazing teacher librarian to help me find stories that represent my values. I ask my students ‘Who is missing?’ from literature and what they notice is always powerful. I try in my writing to also think ‘Who is missing?’ as well as ‘What voice can I speak from authentically?’. I am hoping in the future to collaborate with other authors the same way I do with educators to help tell more diverse stories.