A Little Bit about Me

Website For Students

Raising Awareness and Understanding

Genocide Webquest

Internet Resources

Website for Teachers

Classroom Technology

Using Technology in the Social Studies

Experiences in Education

Ms. Young's Resume'

Free Time?

Diversions and Distractions

When I was a little girl, my parents began taking my brothers and I on cross-country car trips. We visited national parks, museums, battlefields, and distant relatives. As a child, my primary interest in these trips was the depth of the hotel pool. Little did I know that through these family vacations, my parents were teaching me about history, geography, geology, zoology, anthropology, government, archeology and culture. When asked to explain my love and concern for social science, I explain that it is rooted in these childhood adventures and developed as I began to understand all I already knew.

As I grew older, and summer jobs conflicted with family trips, my great-aunt and I began using our frequent flyer miles to visit Europe on winter and spring breaks. Dorothy and I bravely toured Europe a total of four times while I was in high school. From these excursions, we learned the importance of map reading, mental arithmetic, and realized our need to learn more languages. These trips gave me a small glimpse into a world outside my own, and nurtured my concern for the well being of all people.

Travels in the state of Minnesota have evolved to become a regular part of my life, as college, graduate school, and work commitments take a position of priority. Along with my husband, John, and my best friend Nic, I've visited historic sites, state parks and small towns throughout Minnesota on weekend jaunts, pursuing photographic opportunities and a sense of the scale of the world, often lost in the city.

Travel has often defined my lifetime interests, but I stay at home, too. I read a good deal, enjoy frisbee golf, skiing, and sewing, and am developing (albeit, slowly) culinary skills. I aspire to do good in the world by touching the lives of those I meet every day with kindness. I can do this so simply by holding a door or sharing a smile, and I can do it on a large scale by encouraging others to do the same.