Introducing New Faculty and Staff! - Rebecca Nelson

This week, we will be continuing to introduce our new faculty and staff in Roeper news posts. They were nice enough to complete a questionnaire telling us something about themselves. Our two Directors, Lower School, Megan Stott and Middle/Upper School Susannah Nichols added their impressions. 

From Susannah: We are so fortunate to have Rebecca Nelson join us for the first semester, as Katie Quinn is on leave after recently giving birth to triplets. Rebecca comes to us with a wealth of experience in teaching, communications, and publishing. Rebecca has returned to her roots in Michigan and has found great joy and success in teaching, most recently at Hart Middle School in Rochester. Her compassionate nature, alignment with Roeper's philosophical ideals, and content-area expertise make her an ideal fit for our school, and we are thrilled to have the chance to partner with her.Rebecca's responses to our questions:

I’m teaching three sections of ninth grade American Literature and two sections of Creative Writing this semester. 

 

Bearing witness to my only child’s life (he’s now 20 and a junior at The New School in NYC); what a privilege to guide him and watch him grow! Also, living in Mexico City for four years during my youth. It was difficult to be away from all that was familiar back in Michigan, but it was an enriching experience that continues to inform my daily life and worldview.

 

I’d head straight to Spain and tour the whole country, maybe walk the Camino Santiago pilgrimage route. I’m lucky to have traveled in Europe, but I didn’t get to Spain, despite my eagerness to go (fueled by my college studies).

 

I’m an editor and writer with a background in publishing and communications. Born in Grosse Pointe and mostly raised in Michigan, I lived in a northern Chicago suburb for 21 years, returning home to the Great Lakes state a year ago. I’ve been teaching since January, including a long-term assignment in an English Language Arts resource room at Hart Middle School in Rochester Hills.

 

Reading (mostly novels and memoirs), walking our dog in the woods near our home, cooking, and spending time with my siblings and their children, as well as reconnecting with longtime friends. 

 

Teaching English gives me the opportunity to encourage young people to become lifelong readers and help them polish their writing skills, preparing them for whatever they go on to do in their lives.

Hailing from around here, I knew Roeper to be an excellent and progressive school, and the more I looked into the philosophy and the Roepers’ background and outlook, the more interested I became. I feel lucky to be part of this learning experience.