Interview: Ms. Krebs

Tell us about yourself! Favorite movies, music, hobbies, etc.

I grew up hunting and fishing with my family, but I don't do that much anymore. My parents and grandparents are farmers, so I grew up getting my hands dirty quite often! We even had a wild hog for a pet growing up, lol. Also, I am the oldest sibling in my family, with 6 sisters and 2 brothers. I am absolutely a 90s and 00s kid when it comes to movies, music, and media. My favorite movie is Cast Away. Switchfoot and Coldplay are my favorite bands, anything that is late 90s/early 2000s soft alternative rock or worship music. I love Pokemon (I have an impressive plushie collection at home), Legend of Zelda, and anime! My husband is my best friend and we absolutely love to travel and participate in church activities. We have really enjoyed our time in Korea for the past 2 years!

How has your VIS experience been so far?

It has been my dream to teach overseas since 2014. It is still surreal that I was able to come to VIS and accomplish this dream! I started at Valor in August 2024 teaching only music classes. However, this year I was the ELL director and taught middle school ELL along with all the music classes. It was really cool to get to work closely with middle and high school students in different contexts and see them grow in different ways. Teaching in Korea is a stark contrast to teaching in the US as far as behavior and student motivation towards academics. I am greatly appreciative to the students at VIS for taking their studies seriously and working hard to learn and grow. However, I hope that you guys will learn to take some time each day to enjoy something you love and don't let yourself work too hard and burn out too quickly. Take care of yourselves!

Who do you think would be a ruder animal: chipmunk or peacock, and why?

This is easy, definitely a peacock. I know too many people that have been chased or attacked!

Can you tell us a little bit about why you are leaving VIS? What are some of your most memorable moments here?

It was not an easy decision to choose to leave, but my husband and I both felt like we wanted to move back home closer to family at this time in our lives. We prayed a lot about what was the right decision, and we feel that there are things that God wants us to do back home. We are also wanting to start having children soon, so maybe I will have a baby or a baby bump the next time I come to VIS! Some of my favorite memories are the lunch performances that my classes hosted or just playing songs and practicing in music class. It always amazed me to watch the talent that many VIS students have come out through music, and it warmed my heart seeing you guys work together in groups. I also absolutely loved working with my ELL classes! I think the kids really enjoyed when it was someone's birthday and I would grab one of the school guitars and we sang Happy Birthday to them in class. I will miss each student that I taught in all of my classes!

If you got the power to play one instrument perfectly, which instrument would you choose?

This is SO hard!!! I feel like the most practical choice is piano, but I have this secret dream to play my favorite songs on electric guitar on stage with my favorite band someday, lol. I also am really interested in that weird accordion keyboard that Caiden brought to the Philippines!

When did you first decide to become a music teacher and what made you want to become one?

Teaching was never on my radar when I was in high school and college. I was doing an internship in 2016 and ended up becoming a private music instructor for voice, guitar, ukulele, and beginner piano at a music studio in Florida to make extra money. I ended up teaching private music lessons for 6 1/2 years in Florida and Alabama, working with students from ages 3-70! Through this experience, I realized that I loved teaching, which is why I decided to pursue a Master's in education. However, I focused on ESL teaching instead of music because I am really passionate about working with immigrants and international students in the US. I wanted to be someone that helped students succeed and feel like they mattered and were welcome in my home country. I still feel like my calling in life is to equip young people to be successful, but I will be taking a break from teaching when we go back to the US and focus on other interests for the next year!