My name is Josie McClain and I am a fifth-grade teacher at Justine Spitalny Elementary School in the Cartwright District. In 2016, I moved to Phoenix from West Michigan. I returned to Michigan the following summer to marry the love of my life, Alex! Now we've settled into Phoenix with our posse of cats :)

 

I attended Hope College from 2012 to 2016 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Learning Disabilities within the Special Education Department - however, I am certified to teach both special education and general education.

 

I have always had a passion for educating young minds; during my summers I was a nanny and camp counselor at the local summer camp. My deepest joys come from a child's questions and his or her abilities to problem solve by themselves, with peers, or with the help of me as a guide and catalyst.

 

Fifth-grade is fun! We will be learning a variety of things this year; some of these things include mastering fractions and decimals, volume and area, analyzing informational texts, studying human rights, how the United States began and learning about the canopies in the rainforests.