Teachers help the next generation of people develop as social, political, and intellectual beings. Though this sounds like a tall order, teachers do this work every day by modeling what each of these identities look like. Teachers are professionals who are, or can be, well-equipped to do this work and should be supported and valued as much as other professions.

Katie’s Story

Teaching Discipline

Biology

Why Biology

“Biology is a subject that is often portrayed as objective; however, I see biology as a rich space in which students learn (and can challenge) ways of thinking, applications, and implications of the science along with the parts of a cell and the carbon cycle. My love for biology developed unconsciously—it is the result of years spent on trails, in garden beds, and up in trees. As a teacher, experiences I share with students are rooted in real-world observations and actions; this can lead to uncovering connections between individual actions, the importance of context, and the dynamic natures of individual parts and the whole they make up. Biology—the study of life—is beautiful, complex, and always relevant; I believe that by studying and learning from the natural world, we are better equipped to love, protect, and give back to it.”

Professional Experience

As an undergraduate, Katie performed conservation genetics, environmental DNA, and molecular anthropology research, and spent a summer working as a research assistant at Michigan State University’s AgBioResearch Center.

Before beginning her formal teaching career, Katie taught English at Lycée Gaspard Monge, a high school near Paris, France for one year. She also worked as a lead science educator at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Prior to that, she was a writing consultant at Grand Valley State University for two years.

Katie began teaching at Washtenaw Technical Middle College during the 2018–2019 school year.

Hobbies

Katie enjoys hiking, roller skating, reading, writing, and crafting.

Academic Background

  • University of Michigan (Master of Arts in Education)
  • Grand Valley State University (Bachelor of Science in Biology)