International School Inclusion Consultant
From small town to
globe trotter
Originally from a town of 2,000 people in Iowa, I grew up in a family of five. Both of my parents are music teachers and my daily life was filled with listening to and playing jazz and classical music.
My brother struggled with ADHD and I volunteered in the classroom for students with multiple physical disabilities from the 3rd grade. Both of these experiences sent me down my professional path starting in 1994.
At the ripe old age of 24, my husband and I embarked on our first experience abroad in Paris. It whet our appetite for living the expat life and we knew we wanted to raise our future children in a similar environment.
Fast-forward 13 years and we moved our family of three to Switzerland and are reaping the benefits of raising a Third Culture Kid. It would be a lie to say it has always been easy, but it has been an extremely enriching and rewarding experience.
Having a neurodiversity can make school harder and more stressful because the system wasn't set up to be flexible.
After 20 years of teaching, I decided to tackle
inclusion issues head on and make international schools better for everyone.
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A bit about my journey
A US citizen, but a resident of Switzerland since 2013, I have been a teacher for over 20 years in three different countries, teaching general education as well as extensively with students K-12 who have additional learning needs such as Autism, learning disabilities, and intellectual disabilities.
Throughout my tenure, I have noted a pervasive struggle, for families and school staff, to clearly and concisely communicate students’ needs. I observed that when students transfer from one school to another or progress from grade to grade, the story was often lost.
The good news is that these problems can be overcome with the right level of preparation and support!
I bring all of this knowledge and experience to the relationship I create with families and schools to address individual needs and concerns.
Qualifications
- Masters Degree - Exceptional Education emphasis on marginalized populations, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA
- Bachelor's Degree - Double major Elementary Education Special, Education Minor in World Religions, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, USA
Affiliations
- I serve on the International and European boards of SENIA and work to bring the message of inclusive education to international schools.