Position at Unity: I am a part-time Spanish teacher. I teach three sections of Spanish I.
Professional and Educational Background: I graduated from Dordt College in 1999 with a BA in English Education and a minor in Spanish. After Dordt I moved to Managua, Nicaragua where I was the 7-12 English teacher at the Nicaragua Christian Academy for 4 years. In those 4 years I also taught girls' PE, Bible, Yearbook and Newspaper, Creative Writing, and Novels. I moved back to Sioux Center in 2003 and became a substitute teacher in the area schools for a year. After becoming a travel agent and realizing how much I loved teaching, I got a job teaching Spanish I and II at Sheldon High School where I stayed for 5 years. I also got my endorsement in Talented and Gifted and became the Talented and Gifted Coordinator for my last 3 years at Sheldon.
Childhood and Family Background: Sioux Center has been my home all my life except for my 4 years in Nicaragua. I attended Sioux Center Christian, Unity, and Dordt College. After knowing Benj Van Donge for all of those years and never even dating until I moved to another country, we finally decided to get married in 2003. We were blessed by our first son, Micah, on June 4, 2007. Our twins, Jamin and Eli, were born almost exactly 2 years later on June 6, 2009.
Church Life: Benj and I and our boys attend Faith CRC in Sioux Center. That has always been Benj's church home while I grew up in Bethel CRC in Sioux Center. We currently participate in a couples' Bible Study. In the past I have served on the Faith Mission and Outreach Committee, been a facilitator for our household group, and coordinated a group that made meals.
Life Outside Unity: Besides teaching at Unity, I am an online English teacher for the Alpha Omega Academy. I stay very busy being a wife and mother. Our boys keep us hopping from one thing to the next. I do find time to run and swim and have participated in some marathons and the Siouxperman Triathlon. I love to bake and cook for our family and anyone else who looks hungry. If I have a minute to sit and relax I like to do crossword puzzles or read a good book. On any nice afternoon I can be found pushing our 3 boys in our monster of a stroller around Sioux Center. As a family we like to go boating, camping, bike riding and swimming. My other part time job is keeping the 4 men in my house from tearing it apart and breaking things with flying balls.
Why I Teach at Unity: After being in a public school system for awhile, I've come to truly understand and appreciate the gift of Christian Education. While many schools can give students a strong education, only Christian schools can give them a strong education based firmly in our Lord and Savior. Our children are our gifts from God and teaching them that nothing in life can be separated from God is the most important thing we can show them. To be fully surrounded in a commitment to Christ at home, church, and school gives them the foundation they need to make their own personal commitment. We cannot push them to that commitment, but we can give them the tools, knowledge, and love to know that apart from him, we have nothing. Joy comes in living for him.