Amy Jeltema is the school’s newest research  room teacher. Residing in room 1108, education has always been on her mind.

How long have you been teaching/working in schools?

So I graduated from college, and then went on and got my master’s degree from University of Michigan. I taught at White Pines for the past 11 years, and then previously, I was in another district, kind of like the inner city Grand Rapids area.

Where did you go to high school and college?

Grandville High School and started out at Grand Rapids Community College, where I took some of my basic courses before I transferred, tried to save some money.

Have you found something more difficult than you expected transitioning to GHAPS?

Well, the number one thing is the start time. So at White Pines, I had to be to school at 8:30 I know, which meant I could get up at seven. So now I’m getting up at 5 am.

Have you felt accepted at GHAPS?

Yes. Everyone has been super helpful. From big things, like helping me with the fire drill the other day to making sure I knew where I could heat up my lunch, making sure I understood the building and the pods. Everyone has been super helpful.

Have you always wanted to be a teacher/work in education?

I did. I went to the tech center when I was in high school for graphic design, trying to open up other options. But when I graduated, I ended up going right into teaching classes. Something I’ve always talked about doing. I like to people and see other people be successful.

How do you make your classroom unique?

A lot about having a growth mindset and making mistakes and how it’s not necessarily a negative thing, but it’s a way for us to grow and understand better. So just being really open and accepting that everyone has different strengths and weaknesses.

If you could change one thing about your curriculum, what would it be and why?

If I would change anything, maybe have an opportunity to leave the building, be in the community a little bit more.

What’s your favorite musical artist and why?

Luke Bryan is kind of a favorite of our family. They tell a story through the music, sometimes it’s funny and sometimes you can relate to it.

What does your typical planning hour look like?

I have first hour planning, which has been nice to come in and have that time. I’ve utilized some of that time to kind of get my classroom ready a little bit, and you get some of those math things up on the board, and make sure I have all that situated so it kind of looks different every day. A little bit of prepping for the classes.

What’s your proudest achievement?

So I am the first college graduate in my family. So I’ve taken this pretty big accomplishment to go on and graduate with my masters.

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

When people chew with their mouth open.

If you could do anything on your weekend what would it be?

I love hot, humid weather, so if I could do one thing this weekend, it would be to soak up some good sunshine out by the pool.

What’s a bucket list item for you?

Something I really wanted to do was to take our RV and go out west and go to Yellowstone and the Badlands and camp as we go. Yeah, never been out west. I always go south to the warm weather. So something out of my comfort zone

What do you enjoy the most about working at GHHS so far?

I like how fast paced it is, the day flies right by. I’ve also really enjoyed seeing a lot students that I worked with when they came through White Pines