Hi!
My name is Kaitlin Popielarz. I am originally from Grand Rapids, MI which I have proudly named the greatest city in the world. However, my husband and I live in Royal Oak, MI which we are really enjoying. We were married last summer, we love our new home, and we are getting a golden doodle this summer!
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| My husband, Bill, and I at our wedding reception (June 16, 2012) |
I graduated from MSU in 2010 with a major in History. I completed MSU's Secondary Teaching Certification program in 2011 after student teaching at East Kentwood High School in Grand Rapids. I am certified to teach Secondary Social Studies, History, and TESOL. My students laugh at me because I literally get goosebumps when I talk about subjects I love in Social Studies class. I am a proud dork and lover of my subject matter!
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| After I ran the Detroit Marathon (Oct 2012) |
I spent the last two years teaching 6 - 8th grade Social Studies at St. Paul Catholic School in Grosse Pointe, MI. I absolutely loved my time there but at the end of this school year, I decided to take the leap and move on. I really feel my vocation is to teach high school Social Studies in a more urban setting. I am hoping the net will be there for me as I job search for teaching jobs in the Detroit metro area. I am also eager to begin my MATC Master's courses at MSU. I know they will give me the boost of inspiration and motivation that I need.
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| Hiking in Breckenridge, CO (June 2013) |
When I am not teaching, I love to run (I am currently training for the Detroit Women's Half Marathon), cook, travel (especially road trips), go to concerts (I have been to over 40!), read (I just finished
The Fault in our Stars by John Green), and cheer on the Detroit Tigers. I look forward to getting to know all of you!
Happy teaching,
Kaitlin
Hi Kaitlin,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your introductory post. I love the pictures, and the narrative of your personal and professional journey! I really hope you get the job you want. As you might remember/know, I coordinate the secondary social studies program at MSU too, so it's always great to see one of "my" graduates doing so well, holding up the honor of MSU, social studies and teaching!!!
So, good luck on the job search, and let's hope the Tigers don't beat up on my Twins too badly this summer!
Kyle
Hi, Kaitlin.
ReplyDeleteI giggled when I read that your students laugh at you when you get excited about teaching Social Studies.
I taught 4th grade for nine years. In Texas, that's when students are immersed in Texas history. I'm an English major and ended up with this task when I became a self-contained teacher. Talk about new challenges. What ended up happening is that whenever we took a Texas vacation, I worked in a museum with loads of pictures and picked up A TON of brochures to bring back as teaching tools.
The whole experience just made me love Texas that much more.
I look forward to reading about your teaching experiences this summer.
-Lupita Ochoa