One of Rachel Andersen's favorite memories in college was when a music theory professor turned one of her exams back to her. With a twinkle in his eye, he said, “I can always tell that it’s your paper because you have a story written on the back.” She was just killing time after the ear training and aural skills portions of the test (where he played notes, and the students were to write down the interval or melody), but it hinted at a larger love. She loves stories. She loves reading them, she loves hearing them, she loves telling them, and she loves living them!

Growing up as the oldest of nine children, she used stories to make mundane (and sometimes disgusting) tasks fly by like when she quoted Disney movies for her youngest siblings while she changed diapers or got them dressed. Though the youngest sibling is a senior in high school, the quotes she pulled out of thin air are used as family jokes that rock the house with laughter.

Stories propelled her through difficult days in college. They sustained her through the stress of student teaching. They were her favorite time of day in elementary and early childhood classrooms.

Her only hope is that these stories bring you as much joy and pleasure as they bring her!