I grew up in Kent, Washington on the other side of the Cascade Mountains near Seattle. Snuggled on the Puget Sound, memories of my home town still make me smile. They include skiing Crystal Mountain, dining at the top of the Space Needle, and cheering on the Seahawks and the Mariners in the Kingdome. Okay, now that dates me. The Kingdome is no longer standing, but the events that shaped me into who I am and why I teach all go back to that time and place. My mother was a nurse and told me if she had it to do over again, she would pick a profession where she had the opportunity to work with kids. Those words stuck with me as I was growing up and encountered life events as well as life choices. Ever since I can remember, I've loved words. I love the way they weave themselves into a sentence that can construct a thought, communicate a feeling or inspire an action. 

Fortunately for me, teachers inspired my passion for words and turned learning into an action verb. The teachers who molded me did not fill a pail, they lit a fire. Teacher after teacher had an impact on me. I remember the teachers who pushed me, challenged me, believed in me and supported me. The choice had been made for me. Teaching was not a profession I would pick, it was a calling I had to answer. To this day, kids light up my life. They are the reason 25 years later that I believe I can still make a difference. They are the reason I make learning an action verb in my classroom.

In 1989, I found my way to my second home. I attended Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho. I completed my English Education Degree in 1993 for Secondary Education. While atteding NNU, I met Mr. Thompson. We married in 1993 after he convinced me I couldn’t live without him since I’d be hard pressed to find my keys on my own. Together we enjoy skiing, camping, hiking and traveling. Our family is one of the most important aspects of our life besides teaching. We have a daughter, Raelynn, who is an assistant dance coach to the Blue Legacy MHS Dance Team. She is also a full time college student pursuing a degree in nursing. Our son, Jerin, is a junior who drinks a gallon of milk a day, loves football and is still growing.

Speaking of that, I believe it is pivotal for us to never stop growing. So thank you to all those teachers many years ago who taught me...and to all those that I have taught over the years…”The teaching goes on.”