Featured Teachers: Dina Jansen

Get to know some of our teachers through the Proust Questionnaire, liberally adapted from French writer Marcel Proust (1871–1922).

Dina Jansen has been a teacher for 19 years and has taught at St. Mike's for 12 years. She teaches 11th grade U.S. History, New Mexico History, and Health Science.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a librarian, a museum curator, and a flutist.

What is your favorite animal?
I envy giraffes because of their height and ability to be graceful. Recently however, a student convinced me that turtles rock because they have to stick their necks out to move forward!

What is your favorite color?
Yellow!

What is your most marked characteristic?
I generally have a positive attitude and a lot of energy.

What do you think are your greatest faults?
I have a difficult time saying no to chocolate.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Having more than 24 hours in a day. I love when we push the clocks back for daylight savings!

Who are your favorite writers or poets?
J.D. Salinger and Chaim Potok.

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Dumbledore from the Harry Potter series.

Who are your favorite characters in history?
Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Tubman, and Maya Angelou.

Who are your heroes in real life?
My mother and father are my heroes. They really are a dynamic duo!

What quality do you most admire in people?
I admire people who stay true to their beliefs and values.

Where would you most like to travel?
I want to travel to the moon!

If you had not become a teacher, what would you have like to have done instead?
I would have been a motivational speaker.

What do you most value in friends?
Patience, honesty, and loyalty.

What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes?
If people stopped seeing the good in each other.

What is your favorite word?
Love.

What is your greatest pet peeve?
Doing an entire puzzle only to find out one of the pieces is missing from the box. Argh!

What natural gift would you most like to possess?
Coordination.

What is your motto?
Left, right, repeat. (I am currently training for a marathon.)

What is your present state of mind?
Optimistic, full of gratitude, and a general belief that life is good.