Classroom Teacher
My name is Susan Helmink. I am passionate about reading and writing. My favorite types of writing include narrative, expository, human interest and feature stories. Reading is one of my hobbies. Over the summer I finished two mystery novels by my favorite authors, Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich. The titles are "Fearless Fourteen" and "T is for Trespass." I would highly recommend both of these novels. I am currently reading Joshilyn Jackson's "The Girl Who Stopped Swimming."
I have two children. My son is married and lives in Gordon, Nebraska, with his wife and son. My daughter attends Norris High School.
It was my high school counselor, Mr. Beauchamp, who first sparked my interest in becoming a writer. He enrolled me in my first journalism class during my junior year at Lincoln Southeast.
This is my fifth year as a teacher at Northeast. Before coming to Northeast I worked as a journalist at various Nebraska government agencies and for a private company in Lincoln.
For 17 years I served in various positions -- as a public information officer, a communications specialist, and as a communications and marketing director -- which means that I wrote stories and news releases, prepared layouts for newsletters and other educational publications, and worked with the media.
In addition to Northeast, I have taught at Marysville Jr./Sr. High School in Kansas, and at Papillion-LaVista High School in Nebraska. This is my 11th year of teaching.
I earned both my bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln. My endorsements include journalism and English.
Writing is my passion. This summer I took part in the Nebraska Writing Project's technology workshop, a course that gives teachers and administrators the chance to improve their technology skills.
My goal is to help students learn to enjoy writing, whether it be for a school assignment or for pleasure. I also want to help students develop a better understanding of the literature they read and how to research subjects related to their reading.
I believe everyone should write every day (even if it's only for 10 minutes) in order to improve their skills. Writing is a way to express ourselves and a key to finding connections with other human beings.