Ms. Casey Strauss
Personal Profile
This is my tenth year of teaching, and my fourth here at Timothy. I grew up in Hinsdale and attended Hinsdale Central High School. I am one of four girls; my family has been members of Christ Church of Oakbrook since I was little. One of my favorite books of all time is Pride and Prejudice; by Jane Austen (I prefer the BBC movie version of the story). One verse that I always carry with me is Isaiah 49:16. “See I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”
Professional and Philosophical Profile
Upon my graduation from the University of Iowa, I considered teaching second grade . . . but God had others plans for me! My first position was at Prairie Hills Junior High, where I taught seventh and eighth grade Reading. It was a challenging first year of teaching it ended with me feeling unsure of the next step in my teaching career. During that summer, I went on a mission trip as a leader with the high school youth group to Tijuana, Mexico. The trip was an eye opening experience and a time of personal spiritual growth. It was amazing to see these students challenged and grow in their faith in God, and I knew that I wanted to see this faith working in the students I teach. After returning from the trip, I applied at Daystar School in Chicago.
For five years was blessed to teach middle school at Daystar. Through the opportunity to build my own curriculum, I was able to enhance subjects with a Christian perspective, allowing my students (and me!) to experience the life-changing power of Christian education. Because Daystar is an urban, multicultural school, I also had downtown Chicago as a dynamic learning tool. After my time at Daystar and on that inspiring mission trip, I realized that the idea of “classroom” is not limited to one building, or one teacher, for that matter. I want my students to learn to be life-long learners, extending their learning outside of classroom walls.
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