STAFF
Gail D’Haenens
Third Grade
I was born and raised in sunny Southern California but have lived here in Utah for over 40 years. I came to Utah to attend BYU, where I majored in elementary education with an emphasis in speech therapy. I student taught in second grade at Wasatch Elementary in Provo. After graduation, I stayed home with my five children, three boys, and two girls until my youngest started Kindergarten. During that time, I taught “Joy School,” a neighborhood preschool for children aged three to five years. I also worked in my home as a licensed daycare provider for four years. Since I wasn’t busy enough, I also volunteered at my children’s elementary school as their room mother and eventually served as PTA president there. I later served as a PTA president at Provo High School. After my youngest began school, I decided to substitute teach and had the opportunity to teach every grade. I also worked as an aide in 3rd grade and 2nd grade. I taught computers, keyboarding, PE, and art for eight years for Kindergarten through sixth-grade students. Before coming to Lincoln, I worked at Westridge Elementary in Provo, where I taught 5th-grade math, 6th-grade science and art to 5th and 6th graders.
During all those years of teaching, my real goal was to have a classroom of my own. I love to learn. I love the school environment. I like being around other teachers. I have always taken classes in order to learn new things, and I plan to continue to learn right along with my students. This love of learning is a quality I hope to instill in the children I teach at Lincoln Academy. I am always willing to try something new with my students, and especially like to do hands-on activities. I make an effort to coordinate activities across the curriculum, including reading, writing, art, and a little fun too. I try to do this in all subject areas and whenever possible.
I will be entering my 18th year as a teacher at Lincoln Academy and have thoroughly enjoyed teaching and working with the students, teachers, staff, and parents of Lincoln Academy. I look forward to a new group of eager learners.
When I’m not playing with my sixteen grandchildren, I like reading, hiking, biking, scrapbooking, painting and traveling. My husband and I have been fortunate enough to travel to London, Paris, Canada, Washington D.C., New York, Hawaii, New Zealand, and the Midwest. Four summers ago, I was able to go to Italy and France on an Art/History tour and learn about Roman architecture which we teach in 3rd grade.