All About Ms. Knight

I am starting my 21st year of teaching, and I constantly strive to:
  • have the self-motivation of a life long learner, one who is never satisfied with the status quo and sees continued learning as part of regular work and life.
  • have the restless heart of an adventurer to try new things and step outside of your comfort zones.
  • have the spirit of a pioneer who thrives in uncharted territory.
  • have the mind of a scientist to push beyond what you can see with your eyes and can imagine theories, articulate theses and find evidence to dispute or confirm them.
  • have the soul of a teacher to instill the love for learning, reading, and inquiry.
  • possess the courage of an innovator to continuously wonder “what if…” and not be afraid to fail as part of the process.
  • have the imagination of a storyteller to paint in vivid colors different types of stories and to share these stories with the world.
  • possess the curiosity of a researcher to continuously search, test, try, prototype and document our work to contribute to a larger purpose of advancing educational practices.
                                                                   (from Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano original blog post here)

I've been a Teacher/Librarian for 20 years, this is my 4th year at Shorewood Schools--the Atwater and Lake Bluff. I previously worked at Woodlands, Cedarburg, South Milwaukee, and St. Catherine School.

I live in Menomonee Falls. My daughter, Nicole, who is now 30something years old worked with me for several years at St. Catherine School but now she's a floral designer/event coordinator living in Chicago. I spend most of my time with my sister, niece, and nephew who live a few blocks from me. We like to hangout, travel, swim, go out to eat or barbecue in their backyard. On the weekends, we go to movies and concerts, or sporting events. I like learning new things. Technology, books and kids are some of my favorite things!!! And lucky for me, my job has all three! I am almost finished working on my Masters degree, only have a few edits left to my Capstone Project on Digital Citizenship, so I hope I can finalize that soon.
Family

A few of my favorite things: 


Colors: purple, green, and red

Foods: Chocolate-covered raisins, Reese’s, chicken, popcorn (especially cheese and caramel mix), and cookies (any kind)

Drinks: Root Beer, flavored coffees with cream & sugar, and Iced Mochas

Music: Depends on what I’m doing. I like jazz or classical for doing homework (yes, I have homework, too!), Classic rock, big band, oldies, 80s New Wave, 90s old skool, but I listen to R&B  the most.

Places to eat: Mexican---any, Famous Dave’s, Benihana’s, Jimmy John’s, and Chili’s

Favorite Authors:  Mo Willems, Kwame Alexander, Jason Reynolds, Dan Gemeinhart,  John Green, Sharon Draper, Jacqueline Woodson, Jason Sonnenblick, Sharon Creech, Doreen Cronin, Rita Williams Garcia, Jack Gantos, Kate Di Camillo, and many, many more!

Favorite movies: There are too many to list!

TV shows: So You Think You Can Dance, Martha and Snoops Potluck, Grace & Frankie, Queer Eye, Say Yes to the Dress, and  anything on HGTV, especially The Property Brothers, Flip or Flop, Good Bones, Hidden Potential, or Fixer Upper. 

Hobbies:  Reading, learning about new technology, gardening, beading jewelry, painting, cooking, camping, fishing, swimming, watching basketball and hockey, going to concerts and festivals

Many summers I taught an enrichment course for Summer School on Stop-motion Animation and Claymation, click here  to see what we accomplished. It was a blast! Can't wait to do it again. ​

​For three summers I worked part time for the UWM-Writing Project. See the video below explaining what that is.
***Click here to see my Professional Resume page