2nd Grade Teacher
B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Rockford University
Ms. Whittaker joined Keith in 2022 as grade 2 teacher. She is a recent graduate of Rockford University, where she earned a B.S. in Early Childhood Education with an endorsement in elementary education as well as early childhood special education approval.
Ms. Whittaker completed her student teaching at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Rockford where she developed lesson plans with an emphasis on individualizing instruction according to students’ interests, strengths, and needs.
In addition to student teaching, Ms. Whittaker gained hands-on experience working with young children at the YMCA of Rock River Valley Children’s Learning Center for more than three years. Beginning as an assistant teacher caring for children aged 6 weeks to 6 years-old, she rose to lead teacher within two years. In this role, she was responsible for daily lesson planning, assessing student growth, collaborating with administration, and communicating with parents.
During her time at Rockford University, Ms. Whittaker was named a Distinguished Scholar, earning a 3.75 GPA or higher, for every semester she attended. She also presented research on STEM vs. STEAM education at the Rockford University Online Undergraduate Student Humanities Conference in April 2021. Her research was later chosen for publication by the conference panel.
Outside of the classroom she is an avid reader and recipe-tryer. And when she is not doing that, she is hanging out with friends and family and trying to go to as many concerts/shows as she can.
