An Introduction

Writing in a diary is a really strange experience for someone like me. Not only because I've never written anything before, but also because it seems to me that later on neither I nor anyone else will be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl.

- Anne Frank

I'm with you, honey. I keep a private journal, but cringe at the idea of keeping a blog. Luckily, I don't think anyone will be plastering anything I write here all over Facebook. (Of course, that's probably what Anne Frank thought, too...) Let's get started:

 Hello fellow blaggers of the interwebs! 

Opening night of Captain
America at midnight? Yes please!

My name is Nicole. In the real world, I enjoy
singing and performing; reading George Elliot, poetry, and classic literature; running for hours; and eating peaches. I do research projects in biology and theater education, and I'll be speaking at TEDxUSU about it in October. I love spending time with my best friend and spouse, Ryan - together, we enjoy hiking, singing, cooking, and doing science in our kitchen.

In the interwebs world, I read xkcd and What-If, Sandwich Monday, and NPR. I like to stay updated on the latest news (and jokes) in science and technology, and current issues in the world, and I use Facebook and Twitter to stay connected with #OverlyHonestMethods, Mighty Girls, the BBC, and, of course, Doctor Who.

Biology and Drama are to me...

... two sides of the same bridge leading to discovery, examinations of human nature and human endeavor, and creativity. Through drama, I hope my students learn empathy, collaboration, intellectual rigor, creativity, problem-solving, and expand their abilities to reflect critically on their experiences and efforts. Through biology I want my students to learn team work, intellectual rigor, creativity, problem-solving, and expand their abilities to reflect critically on their scientific methods, results, and assumptions. I believe drama can be just as hard intellectually as biology, and that the study of science can develop students' empathy and sense of ethics and justice as much as any art. 

How did I get here?

I knew I was good at Biology, but I didn't want to let Theater go. So I did both. And it was only after I chose both that I became passionate about integrating each into the other. I see so much potential for student growth, and I like a good challenge!

Literacy Is...

... defined differently depending on the situation. A person could be functionally literate, but not culturally or critically literate. 

In my classroom, I want my students to attain "critical literacy" - the ability to read, understand and critally analyze both traditional and non-traditional texts, and apply their learning to discussions, experiments, individual and group projects, and their engagement with others within and without my classroom. Without critical literacy, science is nice, but not essential - drama is fun, but not important. Both are vital to a developing and imperfect society, and so I define (and will strive for) literacy in my classroom: the ability of my students to use what they learn to change their community, to change each other, and to change themselves. 

Thanks for Reading,

now go do something fun.