Mrs. Fingar is one of the many new teachers in the high school this year. She is the English teacher for seniors in room 205 at the top floor in the school building. When asked what her favorite thing to teach is, she responded, “I like it all – canonized novels, nonfiction/memoirs, graphic novels, etc. Everything we read and write should teach us something about ourselves – a realization about our own lives should be amassed through the reading and writing of any of the genres.”
One of the things she has said is that her favorite grade to teach is seniors, but she stated “I like some of the literature for the junior English year, but I believe that I am at my best when I teach seniors.” On the other hand after Mrs. Fingar graduated, she went to Peru State College to start her general studies. After finishing her general studies there, she went to Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Florida for her associate’s degree, then she went on to get her bachelors in English Education from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Then she went to Chadron State College in Nebraska to get her masters in Education. From then she focused on getting her principal Endorsements. For her first principal endorsement she went back to Chadron State College for grades 7-12. After getting her first principal endorsement, she went to Wayne State College in Nebraska for her second endorsement, Pre-K-8th grade endorsement.
One of the reasons Mrs. Fingar became a teacher was because she “grew up in a family of educators”. Her father was a teacher and a coach in Hemingford while her mother taught in Alliance. She says “When I was a little kid, my mom used to take both me and my sister with her when she would sub at the country schools, so I was basically brought up in the profession.” When asked about what schools she’s taught at over the years she says she has taught at the following; Hemingford Jr. & Sr. high school, Adjunct instructor at Joliet Junior College, Illinois, Andover High School, and Blaine Middle School, Minnesota; Blue Valley High School and Olathe Northwest High School, Kansas; and finally Saginaw High School and Weatherford High School, Texas.
Mrs. Fingars’ love of education as seen in her extensive college experiences and desire to enjoy the small town life she grew up with has brought her back home to the area. She plans to finish her career in education here in Alliance, since her husband works for the railroad. We at AHS are excited to help her feel at home here.
