Mendon High School

     Hello all!  I am ecstatic to be re-joining the Pittsford community. As an alumna of the PCSD, I am honored to join a collective of like-minded individuals that are dedicated to uplifting student identities. I have always had an affinity for literature. I learned to read at the budding age of three, unaware that this ordinary skill would cultivate into a lifelong passion. I received books as Christmas presents, spent my recesses curled up in the library, and “back in the day” I was that enthusiastic student that was enrolled in every English elective my senior year. 

     Secondly, you are probably wondering how to pronounce my ridiculously long last name. For brevity, I shortened it to “Wijnaendts” for school; we need to maintain our sanity when we are working with MLA format! Unfortunately, my last name does not remotely sound like what it “looks like”. The phonetic pronunciation is vi.nah.nce. I like to tell my students to think of vi (rhyming with eye) and nah ( as in “Nah! That is crazy”).

I aim to cultivate a classroom of self-assured students that actively participate in a culture of learning. All students have their own unique literacies; it is my privilege to help them hone their strengths.