I am an English teacher at McHenry High School. I have worked for McHenry Community High School District 156 since August of 2008 and have taught as a certified high school English teacher since August of 2006. In addition to teaching core and elective English classes, including Creative Writing and a decade as yearbook advisor, I am also the district’s newspaper advisor.Since 2014, I have spent my summers at Northwestern University's Center for Talent Development, where I teach writing to gifted and talented middle schoolers. In addition creative writing and nonfiction writing curriculum, I have developed and teach one of the nation's only formal fanfiction courses for adolescents.Since 2005, I have written freelance music journalism and criticism. I specialize in interviews and features, but have experience writing reviews as well. I also have been writing bios for a handful of independent record labels and publicists.In addition to non-fiction, I write both short and novel-length fiction. I am a graduate of DePaul University's School of New Learning, where I studied engaging in and facilitating writing for publication.In 2013, I launched Jetsam-Flotsam, a family-owned, independent record label specializing in alternative music. The label's purpose is to support and promote musicians who are pursuing their passions by releasing their music both in digital and antiquated physical formats—namely vinyl and cassette. My professional goals include... ...challenging my students and holding them to high standards; ...creating caring, constructive relationships with my students; ...placing the love of learning and creating at the forefront of my classroom's experience; ...helping my students find their own personal passions; ...pushing myself and continually growing as a writer; ...publishing my fictionSpecialties: Reading and writing strategies, development and support of young writers, multimedia analysis, journalism instruction, curriculum design