TK-12 Online Courses
What inspired you to become a teacher, and what do you enjoy most about teaching your subject?
Hello, I am Dani. I am thrilled to be coming to Branches Learning after being one million percent certain that right before I threw off my graduation cap in high school during the final huddle and saying goodbye to all of my friends who were going to college that I never thought I would be here. I never believed that college was in my future, and I was happy to admit that– and yet as someone who has almost finished her PhD will tell you– I was SO wrong. I am not sure that I was ever inspired to become a teacher, though I remember when I was younger that I loaded up toys in laundry baskets and created mini lesson plans for the neighborhood kids that no one else wanted to watch because of their behavioral challenges but it was my jam and I made so much money doing it as well as having fun. That was probably my first hint that I was going to become a special education teacher.
When it comes to my topic of English, I can say that I’ve always loved writing and started stories with crayon even before I knew how to write properly. I have always been a bit of a storyteller and someone who loves perfecting my art. In addition, I have always been the child that found other people’s stories and would happily use red ink to mark through them and encourage them to make corrections. When I did this in freshman English 101, my instructor who was a graduate student told me that one day I needed to be an English professor. Years later I actually listened to her and happily teach my own English 101 classes at the University of Maine. I am happy to work with eleventh graders mostly because I feel that I can support your writing growth as future college students.
An interesting story that I can tell about why I love teaching English, is when the state entered my classroom and told me that it was impossible for my students to make such growth on the writing exam. I had been given a class of fourth graders with learning disabilities and autism and their writing needed a lot of improvement. So I pushed them and integrated Freaky Fridays which were ways to engage in writing in a really fun way such as tossing packing peanuts into the air and catching them as students said conjunctions. At the beginning of the semester, they were writing three sentences and at the end they were writing 5 paragraph essays that were well structured. The state believed that I had completed their essays for them and they did a specific retest and I was separated from the students and they excelled even more than they had before. I recognized then and there that I loved teaching writing and was SO thankful that each and every one of my students passed.
What are some of your hobbies or interests outside of the classroom?
I like to spend time with my partner and two cats. One looks like Grumpy Cat’s wife and is a December calendar model. The other is a stray who absolutely loves pets. I love to sing like Aretha Franklin and I also like to go to concerts, symphonies and events around town. I also love to read exciting books and sometimes play the Nintendo Switch except for Mario Party Superstars where I swear that Mario cheats. I even like to go ghost hunting because I have had a great time staying inside of haunted hotels and going on many ghost walks and ghost hunts. I am an odd ball, but hey I like it that way! 🙂
What was your favorite subject in school and why?
My favorite subject in school was writing because math absolutely terrified me and I failed and retook Algebra 1 three times with the same teacher, Ms. Lucas– bless her heart for putting up with me for so long. I have always been an English fan and loved reading literature so its no surprise to me that it is still my absolute favorite. I also love science as well!
Anything else we should know about you?
I am bubbly naturally and like 24-7. I also teach at the university level so if I’m ever slower in responding, please remember that I am also teaching two more classes full of students. I am a huge fan of teaching no matter what the age group– it brings me SO much joy and I feel SO excited to be here at Branches. I like to get to know my students and how to best support them overall. I have Coffee Hours where I meet with students, rather than Office Hours because I recognize that sometimes students just need overall support.