Mrs. Gretchen VanHeukelum, Middle School

Mrs. VanHeukelum's Weblog

Email  gvanheukelum@allendalechristian.com

My educational background includes a BA from Calvin College in education and a Master’s Degree in classroom teaching from Michigan State University. After Calvin, I taught 1st grade for six years and then spent a number of years at home while my children were young. During that time, I had an in-home tutoring business, working with children anywhere from 1^st through 12^th grades. In 1998, I returned to the school setting at Hudsonville Christian Middle School where I spent two years as a paraprofessional in the resource room and six years teaching language arts classes. I am now in my third year at ACS, and I thoroughly enjoy having a 6th grade homeroom as well as teaching middle school language arts and social studies.

I feel that my primary role as a Christian educator is to be an encourager.  I strive to encourage each child to appreciate, utilize, and develop God’s gifts and to seek to discover how God wishes to use him or her in His kingdom work.  I also feel that the Christian school classroom is the perfect place to build a community of support and appreciation for one another.  

Colossians 3:12 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”