About Ms. Wilhelm

Purpose Statement
There is a commercial on PBS.   A boy is sitting in front of a dishwasher waiting for it to stop.   When the final cycle is completed, the boy opens the dishwasher and removes a plastic bag.   Inside the plastic bag is a camcorder that was recording the whole time.   The boy eagerly starts viewing the tape.   The commercial ends with the words, "Never Lose Your Curiosity."   I believe that losing one's curiosity should not be part of "growing up."    Curiosity is what drives science and leads people to ask "What if?" and "How come?"    By sharing my passion and enthusiasm with students, my goal as a science teacher is to help students learn how to ask such questions and understand that science can be related directly to their everyday lives.

Personal History
I grew up in Arlington, Texas and was a Patriot while attending Shackelford Junior High.   Upon high school graduation I left Texas for the mountains.   My first adventure was on a Student Conservation Association trail crew program in Glacier National Park the summer before attending the University of Vermont for my freshman year.   However, after one year on the east coast I decided I did not like it so I transferred to Northland College on the shores of Northern Wisconsin.   I loved the small college (800 students total) while I majored in Environmental Science.   Upon graduating from college, I worked a few years for the Natural Resource Conservation Service in Western Washington helping dairyman manage cow manure (a very stinky job).   But then I decided I did not want to make a career in that field, so I started working seasonally in the summers for the Forest Service, first on a fire crew and later as a hydrological technician.   In the winters, I worked as a lift operator at Stevens Pass and traveled a fair bit.   Then in 1998 my husband, Chris and I decided to hike the length of the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada.   It took up 4 1/2 months to hike the entire 2600+ miles and what an amazing journey it was!   By hiking the PCT I learned how important it is to do the things in life you really wanted to do.   One such thing was to lead a SCA trail crew. Ever since I participated in the SCA trail crew, I knew I wanted to be a trail crew leader myself.   So in the summer of 1999 Chris and I led two high school crews.   I absolutely loved it!   What I loved the most was working with the students and teaching them about the natural world.   That was when I decided to become a teacher.   I returned to college to obtain my teaching certification thinking I would become a high school science teacher.   Fortunately, I was able to do my student teaching in a middle school at Icicle River Middle School and I realized I absolutely love working with middle school students. Now, six years later, I still love my job and all the students I get to know.   I am currently working on my Master's of Science in Science Education through Montana State University which I will be completing this coming summer.   When I am not teaching, I am working on my fixer upper house, walking with my dog or hiking or skiing in the mountains.

Some of My Favorite Things
My favorite books - I am the Messenger by Mark Zukas and So B. It by Susan Weeks
My favorite TV shows -   "My Name is Earl" and "Ninja Warrior"
My favorite albums - Breakfast in America by Supertramp and anything by Greg Brown
My favorite foods - Macaroni and Cheese and Fresh Fruit Smoothies

8th Grade Orchestra	Finishing the PCT	Home Improvements