Klinedinst brings her strong background in writing to the classroom to help her students prepare for the demands of college and professional writing. “Some of the most rewarding moments of my day occur when I see my students grapple with a particularly challenging piece of writing, vocabulary, or project and figure it out independently,” she said.

When it comes to her time at WC, Klinedinst can’t say enough about the importance of student teaching and observation experiences. “When I think about my successes in my career to date, I can trace what I’ve done to lessons I learned when I was student teaching or observing,” she said. “Be as involved in your school as you can. Offer to stay after with your teacher, go to see games at your school, learn as much as you can about state tests and accountability, and make the most of your time in the classroom.”

She uses the collaboration, communication, and organization skills from her undergrad experience to keep up with the day-to-day demands of teaching. “In order to accomplish all that I need to do in a timely and effective way, I have to prioritize and schedule exactly what needs to be done,” she said. “My time juggling classes, work, practices, and equestrian shows at WC more than aptly prepared me.”

Her work as a WC Writing Center consultant set her apart as a candidate when it came time to apply for a teaching position. Klinedinst began exchanging ideas with a colleague who also had experience working at a college writing center. From their conversation sprung a plan for a writing center at Sussex Central High School to head off some of the struggles students face with academic writing in college.

Once their idea was approved, they began to train upper-level high school students to work with their peers and established an after school program on the same day as the school’s existing tutoring program. The program met some challenges with low student interest, and next year they hope to expand the program after more research. “We have plans for next year to reopen and modify the writing center model and schedule to meet our students’ needs and to expand our reach to serve more students at our school,” Klinedinst said.

 Overall, she knows that she has really helped a student learn when they no longer need to rely on her for problem solving. “Instead of shooting their hands into the air at the first moments of difficulty, my students carefully reread directions, glance ahead at the culminating assignment, research tutorials or utilize written or online notes, and turn to their partner for assistance,” Klinedinst stated. “For me to see my students struggle and then succeed on their own is a great joy because it shows they will be able to succeed in problem solving beyond high school into their continued academic endeavors, careers or trades.