Spending time with my husband Jeff, my son Gavin, my daughter Adele, my baby boy Beckham and of course my amazing students brings me more joy than anything else in the world.
Hands on Learning Field Trips Role Playing
Why do I think teaching is the best job in the world?
Read below to find out!
It is such a wonderful feeling to say without a doubt that I have one of the best jobs in the world! Everyday I am excited to come and learn with my students as they open up my eyes to new adventures each and every day! I believe with all my heart that all child can and do learn in a safe, supportive and challenging environment. Each year I make it a priority to build a community of learners where there is trust and teamwork among each member of our classroom so that students feel comfortable to take risks, ask questions, challenge themselves, make mistakes, seek help and most importantly develop a love of learning.
I believe that I am a learner right along with my students. I am dedicated to furthering my education by constantly taking professional development classes in the latest educational philosophies. I continue to learn about child development just by watching my students and working to accommodate the many different needs in a classroom of 24 students. I am constantly amazed at what my students teach me each day whether it is a new viewpoint on a book, a different way to do a science experiment or a new problem solving strategy in math. Kids are truly amazing and I feel so blessed to learn and grow with them each day!
I know oh so well the impact that a teacher has on a child. I can recall both positive and negative experiences that I had with my teachers growing up. Those memories have stuck with me and influenced my entire life. I am so thankful for the many teachers that inspired me throughout my life. My commitment runs deep to positively impact all students that walk through my classroom door in a way that will help them rise to being the best person that they can be.
While writing my thesis for my masters degree I had to come up with an analogy for teaching. After searching famous quotes and thinking about this assignment for months I was struck by what has now become one of my favorite quotes of all times.... "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire," by William Butler Yeats. I believe this means that a pail has a point in which it can be filled, yet when building a fire you need to build a firm foundation that will ignite a fire. This fire will continue to burn as long as you continue to feed it. My goal is to light a fire in all the students that walk through my classroom and teach them how to continue to feed that fire for the rest of their lives!
Where did I go to school to receive my education?
I went to Michigan State University where I graduated in 2000 with a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education and a double minor in English and Earth Science. I have received my Master in Curriculum Development through MSU as well as an Administration certification through Oakland Schools. My four years at MSU were filled with lots of learning and lots of fun. I became an avid Spartan fan and have continued to cheer on the Spartans as an active alumni! Go green, go white!
Besides receiving my teaching certificate, the best thing that happened to me at MSU was meeting my husband Jeff, while living in Wonders Dorm my sophomore year at MSU. After graduating from MSU I completed my student teaching in Hazel Park, Michigan at Webster Elementary School. Immediately following my student teaching I was lucky enough to be hired by the Troy School District in 2000 as a fifth grade teacher, at Barnard Elementary School. Go Bluejays!
While teaching in the Troy School District, I have been fortunate enough to teach many different grade levels. I have taught 2nd-5th grade which has allowed me to see curriculum expectations across a wide span of grade levels as well as understand child development better at each grade level. While it wasn't easy moving around so much my first few years of teaching I feel that those experiences made me a better teacher and for that I am forever thankful! Some day when my own kids are older I hope to pursue my dream of becoming a principal of an elementary school. For now, I love my job as a second grade teacher and wouldn't trade it in for all the money in the world- truly!
A Few Fun Facts about Who I am...
I am a true Michigander as I was born and raised in Beverly Hills, Michigan and now live in Bloomfield Hills. I have an older brother named Matt who is married to a great girl, Carly, and they both live in Sterling Heights, Michigan. My parents are retired and live in Traverse City for Michigan's beautiful summer and Fall months, but in Arizona for the colder winter months.
I graduated from the Birmingham School District, Seaholm High School in 1995 and then attended Michigan State University from which I graduated in 1999. After college I married my sweetheart, Jeff Bush, in July 2001. We have two fabulous children, Gavin 6 years old and Adele 4 years old. We are currently expecting our third child who is due in November. This will mean I have to be away from school for a short time, but after a six week maternity leave I will be back with your kids for the rest of the year. I am so thankful to have a couple months with them at the beginning to get to know each other. We also have a spunky cat Smokey- who of course was my first baby. :)
Teaching is very much my first love and I spend countless hours in my free time working on projects for the kids, reading educational books, attending seminars, mentoring teachers, etc... However, I do have many hobbies in my life that I also enjoy and try to squeeze in. First of all, I love just being goofy with my kids by spending lots of quality time with them. Which, being a working mom can sometimes be tough. On warm sunny days you would mostly likely find us outdoors playing sports in the backyard, jumping on the trampoline, looking for fun nearby places to go hiking, going for bike rides, taking walks to the park, planning picnics, engaging in water gun fights, etc... Anything that involves exercising and having a lot of fun! However, on the many cold days that Michigan offers we have found several indoor activities to keep us busy as well. Crafts of all kinds, reading books, board games, building forts, hide-n-seek and our favorite activity of all- singing and dancing. Gavin, Adele and I have some pretty outrageous dance moves to just about any type of music. Gavin would like to be an actor someday so he is a great performer. Adele wants to be a rock star so she can really sing! :) I also enjoy photography, swimming, rock climbing, skiing (water and snow), rollerblading and a little shopping now and then too!
One of my greatest joys that I don't get to do very much at this stage in my life is travel. I was lucky enough to travel all over the country with my family growing up as a child and hope to continue those experiences throughout my life. My dream vacation is to travel to Australia and New Zealand for a month some day. However, yearly trips to Florida or Arizona are exciting too! Over the summer we took a long road trip as a family to Niagara Falls, New York City and Hershey, Pennsylvania. Seeing the falls, visiting museums in the big city and touring the chocolate factory were great memories to make as a family! Knowing that child number three was coming soon we figured it would be awhile again till we could take a road trip, so we went big!
I hope that you feel as if you know me a little bit better after this sneak peak at a few personal tidbits about my life. I look forward to building a relationship with each of the families in my classroom and can't wait to hear about your busy lives as well!
My Family
I have two very important families in my life, my personal family which includes my husband, Jeff and my three precious children Gavin, Adele and Beckham. My second family is my school family, which consists of 27 special students and their families this year.
Gavin is 8 years old and is in third grade this year. Much to my delight he absolutely loves school! He is just a happy kid that always has a smile on his face. He thinks learning anything new is just amazing and doesn't want to miss out on a thing. Gavin enjoys playing soccer, baseball and swimming. When he isn't engaged in active sports he LOVES to explore technology, play minecraft, read books, watch movies, and yes....hang with his sister. They are the best of friends! When Gavin grows up he wants to be an actor and has his eyes set on even winning and Oscar. He doesn't have any backups at this point in case he doesn't make it in Hollywood, but he promises me that he will work on it.
Adele is 6 years old and is in first grade this year. Unlike her big brother Gavin, she is not as big of a fan of school. She would rather just play with her friends and hangout all day. I am hoping her first grade experience will help her round the corner on her feelings toward school. Adele is truly a girly girl. Her brother actually calls her a Diva! She loves her barbies and her stuffed animals which you can often find her having tea parties with. Fairies are so important right now with her secret fairy doors and gardens all over our house and yard. However, Adele too is quite active and enjoys tennis, swimming, dance and gymnastics. She wants to be a rock star someday followed by an artist and then maybe a veterinarian. Her adorable smile and contagious giggle light up any room in the house.
The newest addition to our family is Beckham, who was born on October 28th, 2014. He has been an absolutely wonderful blessing to our life as he brings smiles and laughter each day. Gavin and Adele love having a baby brother and delight in snuggles with him. Gavin does a great job calming Beckham down when he is crying and Adele is super helpful at changing diapers. I am one lucky mom to have three amazing kids!
Both Gavin and Adele are avid Spartan fans along with Jeff and I and will belt out the Michigan State fight song and other cheers to anyone who will listen. Their daddy is guiding them in the direction of Michigan State for college, while I carefully remind them they are free to go wherever they want! As long as it's not U of M (just kidding)! Next year we will get Beckham in full swing cheering on the Spartans when football season starts!
I look forward to getting to know my school family this year and sharing some special things about my home family with you. I can't think of anything in this world more important than family and I feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many people I care so deeply about!
Read below to find out!
It is such a wonderful feeling to say without a doubt that I have one of the best jobs in the world! Everyday I am excited to come and learn with my students as they open up my eyes to new adventures each and every day! I believe with all my heart that all child can and do learn in a safe, supportive and challenging environment. Each year I make it a priority to build a community of learners where there is trust and teamwork among each member of our classroom so that students feel comfortable to take risks, ask questions, challenge themselves, make mistakes, seek help and most importantly develop a love of learning.
I believe that I am a learner right along with my students. I am dedicated to furthering my education by constantly taking professional development classes in the latest educational philosophies. I continue to learn about child development just by watching my students and working to accommodate the many different needs in a classroom of 24 students. I am constantly amazed at what my students teach me each day whether it is a new viewpoint on a book, a different way to do a science experiment or a new problem solving strategy in math. Kids are truly amazing and I feel so blessed to learn and grow with them each day!
I know oh so well the impact that a teacher has on a child. I can recall both positive and negative experiences that I had with my teachers growing up. Those memories have stuck with me and influenced my entire life. I am so thankful for the many teachers that inspired me throughout my life. My commitment runs deep to positively impact all students that walk through my classroom door in a way that will help them rise to being the best person that they can be.
While writing my thesis for my masters degree I had to come up with an analogy for teaching. After searching famous quotes and thinking about this assignment for months I was struck by what has now become one of my favorite quotes of all times.... "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire," by William Butler Yeats. I believe this means that a pail has a point in which it can be filled, yet when building a fire you need to build a firm foundation that will ignite a fire. This fire will continue to burn as long as you continue to feed it. My goal is to light a fire in all the students that walk through my classroom and teach them how to continue to feed that fire for the rest of their lives!
Where did I go to school to receive my education?
I went to Michigan State University where I graduated in 2000 with a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education and a double minor in English and Earth Science. I have received my Master in Curriculum Development through MSU as well as an Administration certification through Oakland Schools. My four years at MSU were filled with lots of learning and lots of fun. I became an avid Spartan fan and have continued to cheer on the Spartans as an active alumni! Go green, go white!
Besides receiving my teaching certificate, the best thing that happened to me at MSU was meeting my husband Jeff, while living in Wonders Dorm my sophomore year at MSU. After graduating from MSU I completed my student teaching in Hazel Park, Michigan at Webster Elementary School. Immediately following my student teaching I was lucky enough to be hired by the Troy School District in 2000 as a fifth grade teacher, at Barnard Elementary School. Go Bluejays!
While teaching in the Troy School District, I have been fortunate enough to teach many different grade levels. I have taught 2nd-5th grade which has allowed me to see curriculum expectations across a wide span of grade levels as well as understand child development better at each grade level. While it wasn't easy moving around so much my first few years of teaching I feel that those experiences made me a better teacher and for that I am forever thankful! Some day when my own kids are older I hope to pursue my dream of becoming a principal of an elementary school. For now, I love my job as a second grade teacher and wouldn't trade it in for all the money in the world- truly!
A Few Fun Facts about Who I am...
I am a true Michigander as I was born and raised in Beverly Hills, Michigan and now live in Bloomfield Hills. I have an older brother named Matt who is married to a great girl, Carly, and they both live in Sterling Heights, Michigan. My parents are retired and live in Traverse City for Michigan's beautiful summer and Fall months, but in Arizona for the colder winter months.
I graduated from the Birmingham School District, Seaholm High School in 1995 and then attended Michigan State University from which I graduated in 1999. After college I married my sweetheart, Jeff Bush, in July 2001. We have two fabulous children, Gavin 6 years old and Adele 4 years old. We are currently expecting our third child who is due in November. This will mean I have to be away from school for a short time, but after a six week maternity leave I will be back with your kids for the rest of the year. I am so thankful to have a couple months with them at the beginning to get to know each other. We also have a spunky cat Smokey- who of course was my first baby. :)
Teaching is very much my first love and I spend countless hours in my free time working on projects for the kids, reading educational books, attending seminars, mentoring teachers, etc... However, I do have many hobbies in my life that I also enjoy and try to squeeze in. First of all, I love just being goofy with my kids by spending lots of quality time with them. Which, being a working mom can sometimes be tough. On warm sunny days you would mostly likely find us outdoors playing sports in the backyard, jumping on the trampoline, looking for fun nearby places to go hiking, going for bike rides, taking walks to the park, planning picnics, engaging in water gun fights, etc... Anything that involves exercising and having a lot of fun! However, on the many cold days that Michigan offers we have found several indoor activities to keep us busy as well. Crafts of all kinds, reading books, board games, building forts, hide-n-seek and our favorite activity of all- singing and dancing. Gavin, Adele and I have some pretty outrageous dance moves to just about any type of music. Gavin would like to be an actor someday so he is a great performer. Adele wants to be a rock star so she can really sing! :) I also enjoy photography, swimming, rock climbing, skiing (water and snow), rollerblading and a little shopping now and then too!
One of my greatest joys that I don't get to do very much at this stage in my life is travel. I was lucky enough to travel all over the country with my family growing up as a child and hope to continue those experiences throughout my life. My dream vacation is to travel to Australia and New Zealand for a month some day. However, yearly trips to Florida or Arizona are exciting too! Over the summer we took a long road trip as a family to Niagara Falls, New York City and Hershey, Pennsylvania. Seeing the falls, visiting museums in the big city and touring the chocolate factory were great memories to make as a family! Knowing that child number three was coming soon we figured it would be awhile again till we could take a road trip, so we went big!
I hope that you feel as if you know me a little bit better after this sneak peak at a few personal tidbits about my life. I look forward to building a relationship with each of the families in my classroom and can't wait to hear about your busy lives as well!
My Family
I have two very important families in my life, my personal family which includes my husband, Jeff and my three precious children Gavin, Adele and Beckham. My second family is my school family, which consists of 27 special students and their families this year.
Gavin is 8 years old and is in third grade this year. Much to my delight he absolutely loves school! He is just a happy kid that always has a smile on his face. He thinks learning anything new is just amazing and doesn't want to miss out on a thing. Gavin enjoys playing soccer, baseball and swimming. When he isn't engaged in active sports he LOVES to explore technology, play minecraft, read books, watch movies, and yes....hang with his sister. They are the best of friends! When Gavin grows up he wants to be an actor and has his eyes set on even winning and Oscar. He doesn't have any backups at this point in case he doesn't make it in Hollywood, but he promises me that he will work on it.
Adele is 6 years old and is in first grade this year. Unlike her big brother Gavin, she is not as big of a fan of school. She would rather just play with her friends and hangout all day. I am hoping her first grade experience will help her round the corner on her feelings toward school. Adele is truly a girly girl. Her brother actually calls her a Diva! She loves her barbies and her stuffed animals which you can often find her having tea parties with. Fairies are so important right now with her secret fairy doors and gardens all over our house and yard. However, Adele too is quite active and enjoys tennis, swimming, dance and gymnastics. She wants to be a rock star someday followed by an artist and then maybe a veterinarian. Her adorable smile and contagious giggle light up any room in the house.
The newest addition to our family is Beckham, who was born on October 28th, 2014. He has been an absolutely wonderful blessing to our life as he brings smiles and laughter each day. Gavin and Adele love having a baby brother and delight in snuggles with him. Gavin does a great job calming Beckham down when he is crying and Adele is super helpful at changing diapers. I am one lucky mom to have three amazing kids!
Both Gavin and Adele are avid Spartan fans along with Jeff and I and will belt out the Michigan State fight song and other cheers to anyone who will listen. Their daddy is guiding them in the direction of Michigan State for college, while I carefully remind them they are free to go wherever they want! As long as it's not U of M (just kidding)! Next year we will get Beckham in full swing cheering on the Spartans when football season starts!
I look forward to getting to know my school family this year and sharing some special things about my home family with you. I can't think of anything in this world more important than family and I feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many people I care so deeply about!