The many hats of miss knapp
Fun Fact #17: I had a collection of 52 hats until I turned 16. I try to keep it under 20 now.
NatureI found joy in the garden and in nature at a very young age by helping out at the garden near our housing complex and going on annual camping trips growing up. I reconnected with my love of nature in college when I volunteered at the community garden called The Forge. I eventually got an internship there as an Education Coordinator which helped me realize my love for working with children as well as planning educational activities and projects. I am interested in making a gardening club as soon as possible.
Fun Fact # 9: I realized I wanted to be a teacher when I was working in a Community Garden as an Education Coordinator Intern.
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Art My passion for art is linked to my care for the environment as well as my interest in social-emotional learning and meditation. I'm thrilled that adult coloring books are becoming popular and more adults have a chance to unwind and reflect through the expressive process of coloring. Art provides a space for expression with people of all ages and it is an important component in my "Calming Corner" for children to understand and process emotions and behaviors. To see more of how my art collided with my passions, please visit my artist website with the button below.
Fun Fact #15: Although many people think it is, my favorite flower is not a sunflower.
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meditationMy meditation practice started in 2010 after a third suicide by a peer from my high school. I feel strongly about interpersonal connections not only as a preventative measure to stop suicide, but also as a fundamental standard of the human condition. Interpersonal relationships can be more easily created with introspective reflection and an open mind. Being friends with yourself can be a first step to making more friends. Now, my meditation practice is seeped in a focus on gratitude and kindness. Mindfulness is a staple in my classroom where I share different strategies and practices for regulation and reflection. See below for SEL and mindfulness information.
Fun Fact #8: My favorite job was working at Trader Joe's.
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ActivitiesI think project-based learning is an essential tool for the modern teacher. Although there are a number of mandated curricula to follow in the current public school atmosphere, my out-of-the-box thinking and love for metaphorical references offers me the right tools to tie things together for my students. This way of manipulating material so that it easily associates with others, provides access to higher-level thinking for my students through making connections and discovery learning. Furthermore, resourcefulness and flexibility are ingredients to make learning engaging and relatable!
Fun Fact #7: When I grew up, I wanted to be a hairdresser/taxi driver/artist/poet on different days of the week. Ask me about my jobs in 2015 to find out how I achieved that goal.
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familyEducation is my highest priority, but really only second to my family. My family tops any priority I may have in my life because they are my life - as is education. I have a mom with the biggest heart and the longest philanthropic track record I've ever met. Until Oct 2018, I had a father who brings logic to our family and also a flair for the creative; his scientific perspective lives on in me. My sister is my trail-blazer in more ways than one: she knew she wanted to be a teacher when she was in elementary school and teaches and mentors middle schoolers in Portland today. Finally, I have a tortoise named Rupert! I see my family as often as possible and talk to them in between visits.
Fun Fact #18: Being the daughter of an engineer, I am very handy and innovative; and I have an impressive toolbox.
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interestsScience is my favorite subject because it embraces all other subjects without exception. It includes writing, reading, math, data, critical thinking, creativity, art, analysis, imagination, determination, and faith - in yourself, in your ideas, and in the world to produce the results you're looking for. While I highly respect the technology industry (especially after working in tech right out of college), I do have hesitations with any intention to edge out the creative from the world of science. In this high-paced society, some forget that there is beauty and an art to coding or to software engineering - it doesn't have to be a machine-like experience to produce a machine. Therefore, the experience of design and creativity is essential to the future of technology in my opinion.
Fun Fact #6: I had braces for 4 years.
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