My SPS Story: Alyssa Wicklund, AgAcademy teacher
Dec. 7, 2022
“In 2003, I began my career teaching math at Study Middle School after I completed my student teaching in the same building. During my 11th year, my colleagues from Study and I joined the staff at Westport K-8. My undergraduate studies at Missouri State were elementary and middle school education with an emphasis in math and science. SPS has provided multiple opportunities to feed my ongoing need for personal growth and learning through eMINTS certification and multiple professional conferences. Recently, due to my work at Wilder Elementary, I completed a TESOL certification which gave me understanding to better support multilingual students and their families.
Like my colleagues in SPS, teaching and learning is a passion; it flows through every fiber of my body and soul. At a young age, I had already set my sights on becoming a teacher, spending numerous hours playing school with my brother and our stuffed animals. I also participated in Girls Scouts and 4H. Life science topics, including biology, were among my favorite classes in school.
Before teaching at the AgAcademy, I had taught fourth, sixth, and seventh grades, so fifth grade just seemed to be a perfect fit for my next big adventure. As a person who thrives on collaboration, I knew joining a co-teaching atmosphere would push me to stretch my thinking, be flexible and challenge myself to learn and grow alongside our students. This building’s design symbolizes the students’ physical, mental, and emotional growth through their fourth- through sixth-grade years as they achieve their goals. In the same way, the AgAcademy inspires me to dream big.
I see teaching within this environment as an avenue to share my learning and growth mindset with those around me. I may not have all the answers, but I can use my tools and resources to make positive changes in this community. I’m learning right along with my students every day.
Being at this school, I feel connected with past generations. Agricultural roots run deep in my family’s history. I have fond memories of staying at my grandparents’ farm each summer and I believe they would be proud to see me continue their legacy in this teaching role. My mother has shared her love of gardening with me and my own children through the years. I, too, want to provide children with experiences that teach them to develop scientific habits of observation and nurture their curiosity about the world around them.
It is my goal for the AgAcademy students to see the value of hard work and experience hands-on learning, through harvesting from the school garden, working in the greenhouse, and learning more about animal husbandry. I want our students to understand how agriculture has and will continue to connect to our everyday lives.
This is my SPS story.”
- Alyssa Wicklund, fifth-grade teacher at the AgAcademy
