NAME:
J. VANDERWEGE
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SCHOOL:
SUNNYVALE MIDDLE SCHOOL
CLASS:
8TH GRADE MATH / 7TH GRADE AVID
SCHOOL PHONE:
(408) 522-8288
A native of the bay area, I attended local schools and graduated from Del
Mar High School of San Jose in 1995. In 1996 I moved away to Oklahoma where
I attended Northeastern State University and received my B.A. in Education.
I have two sweet daughters who are my inspiration and keep me on my toes.
Mikayla is ten and Nikkole is eight and they are both a lot of fun to be
around. They are the biggest reason I became a teacher. I want to be a good
role model for them and show them how important education is.
I love teaching math and AVID because it gives me the opportunity to be
around other great kids! Both math was one of my favorite subjects in
school because I loved the problem solving and math equations.
When I'm not teaching I'm usually either spending time with family, at San
Jose State University, with my daughters at a local park or at a movie
theater.
I'm currently attending San Jose State University working on my
Master's in Counselor Education. I'm hoping to graduate in May 2009!
Some day I hope to travel to Europe with my daughters and see places such as
France, Ireland, Scotland, England, Italy and Germany. Until then we are
planning on our first Disney Cruise next summer ('09). Did I mention I'm a
huge Disney fan? Yes, every year we make an annual family trip to the land
of that famous mouse, Mickey!
I also have two class pet guinea pigs named Cali and Rudolph. They are
both females and love learning about math and science too! You can
frequently hear them squealing out loud when they find a particular topic
of interest.
At home I have three cats named Sadie, Tyger, and Snoopy. I've had all
three of them since I was in high school and they are a very important part
of our family.
I love and adore both my kiddies and kitties.
My mission for the class is to learn something new every day. I want to
provide my students with experiences they will remember for years to come.
Even though we may not be able to have labs every day, I hope to have fun
through a variety of different ways.
Some of my favorite class memories are labs, math toys (aka manipulatives),
science jeopardy, and hopefully soon a new game! I'm in the process of
making a new version of math Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
I feel providing hands-on experiences will help my students retain such
abstract concepts as Chemistry, Astronomy, Physical Science, and Algebraic
thinking skills.
Together we are a class family! I hope to be a good role model for my
students and provide a safe atmosphere where all students can feel accepted
and respected. My students will learn through a variety of learning styles
including hands-on experiences, visual, auditory and cooperative learning
groups.
The greatest satisfaction is seeing my students walk down the aisle at their
8th grade graduation. Every year I look forward to this happy event. What
an honor I have to be apart of their lives and witness one of the many
milestones they will achieve. Although it's always sad to say goodbye, I am
so proud of all of my students as they move on with their education and
enter high school.