Her Story
About Christina
I work for Regional School District 16 at Long River Middle School, where I serve as a Grade 8 English Language Arts teacher. I've been teaching for 32 years and work in an excellent school district with great kids. I'm currently a curriculum leader and serve on the leadership team, which I think has been the biggest change for me professionally. I'm just about to finish up my third master's degree in Instructional Technology and Design, and while I don't know if I'm an expert at it yet, I'm definitely becoming more proficient at designing online learning materials that engage students and lead them through the instructional process so that they can kind of do it on their own. I believe that through self-discovery, that's when students learn the most. My main areas of expertise are definitely reading and writing.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Christina
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think the support of coworkers and colleagues is what I attribute my success to. Having that network of professional support around me has been essential to my growth and achievements throughout my career.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I think the best career advice I've ever received is to build relationships before anything else. When students trust you and they feel safe, they're going to learn better. That foundation of trust and connection is what makes everything else possible in education.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I am finding, personally, the biggest challenge is transitioning if one is interested in transitioning to, let's say, remote work or some other field like curriculum writing. I am finding that transition to be difficult and challenging for teachers who want to explore those opportunities.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in my work and personal life are honesty, dependability, integrity, and responsibility. These principles guide how I approach both my professional relationships and my personal interactions.
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