WHITEHALL — Britney Christensen found passion in helping kids, specifically in special education, and continues to affect kids’ lives every day at Whitehall’s Ealy Elementary.
“When I graduated from Reeths-Puffer, I went to Grand Valley State University right away and couldn’t decide what I wanted to do,” Christensen said. “I started meeting with people to figure out what my interests were. One of the counselors asked me to reflect back on times in my life when I was motivated by an adult or some situation. My home life was a little crazy and the thing that kept coming to mind was that there were certain teachers, people within the school system from the time I was a kid to when I graduated, who made my life better. I think that just knowing that people have the potential to do that for kids, I liked the idea of that. I decided special education was the piece of that that I wanted to take on.”
Christensen, born and raised in Muskegon, got her first job at her old stomping grounds, Reeths-Puffer Middle School. But her first day didn’t go as planned.
“When I first started, I was supposed to be in a resource room,” said Christensen. “On my first day, while I was getting introduced to staff, I found out I was going to be working with the emotionally impaired population. That was the first of many times of having to be flexible and open-minded. I loved it. Those kids were great. I think the kids sometimes underestimate what they can do.”
Since starting at Reeths-Puffer, Christensen’s career has taken many unexpected twists and turns.
“My now-husband took a little bit longer in college and ended up doing his student teaching in Whitehall,” Christensen said. “He got a job there and there was an opening for a special education teacher at the high school. I interviewed and made that move in 2001. Since then, I had twins in 2002 and then we had budget cuts, which led to me getting moved from the high school to a general education fifth-grade classroom.”
Christensen is still with Whitehall’s Ealy Elementary, but now teaches fourth grade. She said her career has been interesting in that she has gotten to experience teaching at all grade levels and various age ranges.
“I love ‘morning meetings’ and sharing my message with all of my students,” said Christensen. “We’re able to build a stronger community when we know each other and learn how to work together. I also love ‘Explore & Do’ (which focuses on science and social studies), when we can do things for our school and our Whitehall community. I enjoy being outside with students and our native plants while we get our hands dirty and connect to the earth. I like seeing my students sharing that same space with me. We learn a lot about each other and the outdoors. Again, it’s all about the experiences we get to have together.”
Christensen takes to heart the fact that she knows she could have a strong impact on her students’ lives, something that motivates her passion for teaching.
“I love my job because I enjoy working with students and watching them grow into amazing human beings,” Christensen said. “It’s fun to see everyone discover new things about themselves; what they can do that they didn’t believe they could do before.”
