I'm Angie Wittmus. This is my story. Well, part of it anyway.
I'm really lucky. I had a first-grade teacher who saw something in me and referred me for testing into a gifted education program. What makes me even more fortunate is that being in a military family, we moved a lot, but no matter where we went, there was a gifted education program in every school I attended. Though each program was different and amazing in its own way, I had a lot of support for people like me and took away a lot of positive experiences that continue to help me throughout my life.
I have always known that I wanted to and would be a teacher. I always wanted to teach little kids - so elementary education was a natural fit for me when I graduated high school. I did part of my student teaching in 5th grade and loved the content and the independence of the students, as well as completing the other half of my student teaching in a first grade classroom where I loved the affection, curiosity, and fearlessness of learning in the children. I landed in a professional happy medium where I taught third grade - the best of both worlds - and there I stayed for 14 years!
My first assignment was for St. Louis Public Schools - Simmons Multimedia, Electronics, & Graphic Arts (MEGA) Magnet school located in North City in the Ville Neighborhood. There, many of my third graders exposed me to their lives and problems - homelessness; poverty; unemployment; drugs; gang-related violence - and the list goes on. Despite the distractions beyond the walls of the school, my students and I learned, loved, created, and discovered.
When I moved out of the city, I was hired as a third-grade teacher (what luck!) at Daniel Boone Elementary School in the Francis Howell School District. Here, I was so fortunate to have the gifted cluster of students in my classroom every year. I wanted to teach them the way that I was taught, but it was here that I realized the huge imbalance of support for our gifted children. Yes, there was a 1-day a week pull-out class designed for gifted students - but what about all the other days? As a general education teacher, I was constantly pulled in every direction to meet the needs of all students, but I had a main focus on the ones performing below grade level and keeping the ones on grade level from falling behind. Living this reality as a teacher and as a former gifted student motivated me to earn my certification in gifted education.
In 2013, a life-changing opportunity presented itself. A Gifted Education Specialist position opened at Francis Howell Middle School - the middle school where Daniel Boone Elementary feeds into. The position called for someone to be the sole educator for the gifted education classes (Spectra), find unidentified gifted students, support gifted students, their parents, and teachers, and advocate for gifted individual's rights.
Long story short, I completely left my safe and comfortable third-grade position to take on the adventure of a lifetime!
And I never looked back.
I'm really lucky. I had a first-grade teacher who saw something in me and referred me for testing into a gifted education program. What makes me even more fortunate is that being in a military family, we moved a lot, but no matter where we went, there was a gifted education program in every school I attended. Though each program was different and amazing in its own way, I had a lot of support for people like me and took away a lot of positive experiences that continue to help me throughout my life.
I have always known that I wanted to and would be a teacher. I always wanted to teach little kids - so elementary education was a natural fit for me when I graduated high school. I did part of my student teaching in 5th grade and loved the content and the independence of the students, as well as completing the other half of my student teaching in a first grade classroom where I loved the affection, curiosity, and fearlessness of learning in the children. I landed in a professional happy medium where I taught third grade - the best of both worlds - and there I stayed for 14 years!
My first assignment was for St. Louis Public Schools - Simmons Multimedia, Electronics, & Graphic Arts (MEGA) Magnet school located in North City in the Ville Neighborhood. There, many of my third graders exposed me to their lives and problems - homelessness; poverty; unemployment; drugs; gang-related violence - and the list goes on. Despite the distractions beyond the walls of the school, my students and I learned, loved, created, and discovered.
When I moved out of the city, I was hired as a third-grade teacher (what luck!) at Daniel Boone Elementary School in the Francis Howell School District. Here, I was so fortunate to have the gifted cluster of students in my classroom every year. I wanted to teach them the way that I was taught, but it was here that I realized the huge imbalance of support for our gifted children. Yes, there was a 1-day a week pull-out class designed for gifted students - but what about all the other days? As a general education teacher, I was constantly pulled in every direction to meet the needs of all students, but I had a main focus on the ones performing below grade level and keeping the ones on grade level from falling behind. Living this reality as a teacher and as a former gifted student motivated me to earn my certification in gifted education.
In 2013, a life-changing opportunity presented itself. A Gifted Education Specialist position opened at Francis Howell Middle School - the middle school where Daniel Boone Elementary feeds into. The position called for someone to be the sole educator for the gifted education classes (Spectra), find unidentified gifted students, support gifted students, their parents, and teachers, and advocate for gifted individual's rights.
Long story short, I completely left my safe and comfortable third-grade position to take on the adventure of a lifetime!
And I never looked back.
I love a good quote!
Other things about me:
- I am a National Board Certified Teacher - Middle Childhood Generalist
- I am an Adjunct Professor for Lindenwood University. I teach graduate students in the MAT program in the areas of Assessment, Health, Science, and Mathematics
- My Master of Science degree is in Classroom Teaching
- My Bachelor of Science degree is in Elementary Education with an Area of Concentration in Spanish Language and Culture
- I am married and a mother of 3 crazy kids who constantly make me question my abilities
- I am an avid reader of articles and blogs and am slightly addicted to social media
- I have 2 dogs, a Basset Hound (Frankie) and a Chocolate Labrador Retriever (Lola)
- I love a good quote
- I have been known to Zumba with the best of them!
