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Miss Wangler, Fourth Grade

Hi to All! I am very excited and blessed to be a part of the St. Joseph community. Everyone has gone above and beyond to make me feel welcomed, and so I would like to take this opportunity to share some pieces of my life with you.

I am a lifelong resident of Ogemaw County and graduated from Ogemaw Heights with honors as a student-athlete. After high school I set forth on the college journey. I began at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City and then extended my education to Central Michigan University, where I received my Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. My focus areas included Integrated Science, Reading, and Child Development.

As part of a teacher education program, a student teaching experience is essential. I made the choice to come back to West Branch to do my student teaching and volunteer as a soccer coach with the girls' varsity soccer team at the high school. Due to my ZA endorsement I was required to split my student teaching time between an early elementary grade and an upper elementary grade. For the first eight weeks I was in a second grade classroom and my second eight weeks were spent in the preschool program offered at Surline. Both experiences were extraordinary and set me on a strong path to build upon.

After receiving my degree, I was offered a teaching position in Virginia with the Norfolk Public Schools as a second grade teacher on Camp Allen military base. I gladly accepted the offer and made the long distance move to the east coast. While the experience had many benefits, at the end of my contract I came to the decision that it was in my best interest to return to Michigan.

Since returning home, I have turned my focus to continuing my development as an educator. I have taken an Early Childhood Administration class through Kirtland and expanded my understanding of reading education by going through the highly praised Orton-Gillingham training. Further down the road, I anticipate participating in more classes offered through the Michigan Dyslexia Institute (Orton-Gillingham) and enrolling in the Child Development graduate program at Central Michigan University.