About Mrs Garrelts
I am a native Oregonian. I am the youngest of seven children and the only one born in Oregon. The rest of my family is from Chicago, Illinois. I knew at a very young age that I wanted to be a teacher. After taking a small detour and having a son, I went back to college to fulfill my dream. I graduated from Northwest Christian College with a bachelors in Elementary Education in 1998. I then began my career by becoming a substitute teacher in the district. After being a substitute for two years, I was hired in the district at Guy Lee Elementary School. There I taught third grade for eleven years. During my time at Guy Lee I continued my education and received my Master of Education in 2011. In 2004, my husband and I, along with our three children moved up the McKenzie River just east of Leaburg. After making the commute to Guy Lee for several years, I finally decided to teach a little closer to home, so I made the move to Walterville in 2011. I have been teaching third grade at Walterville since then.
About My Family
My husband, Greg, and I are the proud parents of four children who range in ages from 5 to 26! My oldest daughter, Ashley, is an aspiring writer who loves working with children and animals. My son, Nathan, and his wife, Breanna, recently moved to Chicago where he working in his field of Renewable Resources and Electrical Engineering. My daughter, Anne, work at a retirement home in Springfield and lives with her fiancé, Max and my grandson, Carter. My youngest, Courtney, is 5. She will be starting kindergarten this year and is looking forward to coming to Walterville. My husband works at Mckenzie School District as the transportation person.
My Educational Beliefs
I believe all children can learn, but not all children learn at the same pace or in the same way. Because of this, I like to create a variety of ways for children to show me what they know. I believe children build on what they already know, so having a firm foundation in place is essential. This is why elementary school is VERY important--because it is where many of those building blocks are started. Attendance and being on time, therefore, is crucial to a successful school career. I also firmly believe that attitude is directly related to how much a child will learn. I encourage my children to come to school with the right attitude--a positive and enthusiastic one!