I have been surrounded by teachers my entire life, so it is quite fitting that I have become an educator myself. My father taught math and business at Triton College in River Grove, and my mother taught third and fifth grade in Waukegan. After I declared my major in education, I soon graduated from the University of Dayton in 2000. In June of that same year, I accepted my first teaching job at Oak Grove School. A few years later, I earned my Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Northern Illinois. I enjoy teaching fifth grade at Oak Grove because I love working with children. To add, 10 and 11 year olds are really fun to teach because they are energetic, hard-working, and kind young adults. In my free time, I enjoy eating at restaurants with my husband, Dan, or playing at the park with our two sons, Max and Mason. Whenever I have any time to myself, I love picking up a good book to read or “hitting the links.”