Your Instructional Coaches

Nancy Meisenger, Natalie Smith, Rachael Walker, Anne Olsen

 

 

Nancy Meisenger

I am so excited to kick off this school year with you! I have been a member of the Kaneland family since 2006.  This is my third year as an instructional coach. I will be working alongside primary teachers at KME and KSS this year.  Prior to this role, I served KSS and KST as a STEM coach for two years. I also worked as the Literacy special teacher at John Shields for 9 years.  During my time at Kaneland, I acquired my Teacher Leadership Endorsement at Aurora University. My earlier experiences in education were as a reading interventionist and fourth grade teacher in California. There I earned my Master’s Degree in Math, and Science, and Educational Technology. My initial teaching experience was as a bilingual teacher in District 87, here in Illinois.

On a personal note, my husband Jeff and I have two adult sons who are launching their careers.  John is starting his second year as a PE and Health teacher in Milwaukee. Michael is also living in Milwaukee and working as an environmental scientist with a focus on ecology.  While I grew up in Illinois, my family lived in Virginia, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Florida and California during my husband’s 12 years of active duty in the Marine Corps. That experience definitely taught me to roll with the punches and adapt to new situations. I also learned during that time that there is no place like home.  The values and community feel of the midwest is like no other region. For that reason we came back home to the midwest. I believe our district is the perfect place to exemplify and appreciate those values through education and partnership. In our spare time, I am learning all about home renovation.  Ask me about cutting drywall or caulking door frames.  I am learning things that I never thought I would or could do. I am trying my best to have a growth mindset! I hope your year is filled with learning, adventure, support, and plenty of laughs. I look forward to working with all of you!

Anne Olsen

Greetings to all.  Hope everyone had a great restful summer. Summer was a busy time of travel for me.  Europe was my destination,specifically the motherland, Ireland, England and Scotland.  From navigating on what I call the wrong side of the road, to castles, to friendly people to learning how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness, it was a memorable trip.

As we calibrate into school mode, I wanted to reintroduce myself to everyone. A little bit about my Kaneland life — this will be my second year as an Instructional Coach.  Prior to this assignment I was a STEM Coach at KBK and KME for two years. I called KME my home 9 years from 2006 until 2015 in fourth grade. Joliet School District in 6th grade at Washington Junior High was my first teaching assignment. I received my masters degree in Teaching  from Aurora University. Additionally, I have a Masters Certificate from Penn State University in Children’s Literature and many classes in technology from NIU.

On the personal side — I have lived in Geneva for the past 24 years.  And as most of you know from when I start to talk I do not come from Illinois.  I am a true blue New Yorker – – New York Yankee and New York Jet fan. I grew up in the borough of Queens which is part an intricate part of NYC. I am married to my husband John for a long time and we have with three children and one granddaughter.  We moved to the midwest from NYC because of a job transfer in the toy industry. My daughter Ali is a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design with a degree in painting. And we all know how far that will get you. She has taken on a role of a Project Manager in the healthcare industry.  My son Ryan lives in Chicago and is a senior analyst in the healthcare industry.. He received his Masters in Public Administration from DePaul University. My youngest, Colin lives in New York City and works for the Hearst Corporation as their Senior Production Manager for all their digital work.

I look forward to an exciting to school year for our students.

Rachael Walker

Hello everyone! I am excited to work with all of you and see all of the great things you are doing with your students! This is my fourth year in Kaneland. It is my first year as an instructional coach and I’m ready to get started in this new role. Before being an instructional coach I taught 7th grade ELA at Harter for three years. Prior to teaching in this district, I taught 8th grade ELA in Joliet at Hufford Junior High School for five years.

When it comes to education, I received my teaching degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a dual degree in English. Go Huskers! I am finishing up my Masters in Educational Technology with a certificate in Tech Integration Specialist. I am in my last class and on track to graduate December 2019! I love using technology in the classroom and finding ways to use technology to help student’s learning as well as help you, the teacher.

Even though I went to Nebraska for college, I grew up in Wheaton and even played basketball and softball against Kaneland back in the day. I live in Aurora now with my husband and our dog, a chihuahua shih tzu named Jackson Pollock. He is very cute, but definitely has a Napoleon complex. 10 pounds of fury! My husband and I love to travel as well as be outdoors. The main trip this summer was to Colorado to hike and hang out with our friends, but hope that we can go abroad next summer. I’m fortunate to have family close as well since my parents live in Wheaton and my brother is in Chicago. My sister lives further away in Huntsville, AL. We do get together every year for our annual half marathon and make a trip out of it. So if anyone wants to train or do any races, let me know!

Can’t wait to meet all of you and your students! Ready for a great year!