Nicolette Amann

Hi everyone! I started teaching in 1996 while I was finishing my Masters Degree at HSU. My first years I taught at Veterans Upward Bound, College of the Redwoods, and HSU. Those were some tough years of twelve hour workdays and freeway flying, but I was fortunate to have more than enough work even at the beginning of my career. In the last few years I have been teaching English classes full time at HSU. I primarily teach English 100 and I very much enjoy working with the freshman in my courses.

I also am a certified personal trainer and teach group exercise classes at HealthSPORT in Arcata and McKinlevyille. Though this "hobby career" means my days start a little earlier (6am strength class!) and end a little later, I love the sense of community in these classes and I find it tremendously rewarding to help people get and stay healthy and strong.

My work with the Redwood Writing Project has taken a number of forms over the years. After attending the Summer Institute a number of years ago, I started by facilitating workshops about for college and high school students and teachers. Then, I was invited to be a member of the Leadership Team. More recently I attended the ATI and then joined the Tech Team. I have learned so much about teaching and about technology thanks to RWP!

In my free time I like to garden, read, travel, workout and play sports, and spend time with my family. This summer my husband and I were fortunate to spend three weeks in South Africa for the World Cup. We attended seven amazing matches and met many wonderful people from all over the world.

Random tidbits:

• My favorite word is strength. I wish my favorite word was balance. Or maybe patience.

• I hate all machine sounds (think fridge motor, clocks that tick, chainsaws, and motorcycles). The vacuum cleaning is the very worst. I am very thankful that my husband vacuums when I'm not home.
  

• My backup careers include landscaper, CPA (tax preparation), and personal trainer.

• My favorite meal is mixed greens with tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onions with balsamic dressing and mashed potatoes.

• Jhumpa Lahiri is my current favorite author.