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Stephanie Noordyke, M.Ed. in Education
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I’ve always loved writing, and received my Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University in 2005. After my husband, Matt, and I married in 2007, we moved to Boston for a few years where I worked as an administrative assistant for a financial company. When we moved to Chicago and I began my job search there, I knew I didn’t want to be an admin anymore—but I also didn’t want to be a journalist.
After some soul searching, I applied and was accepted to the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Early Childhood Education graduate program in 2009. I was offered a position at UIC’s Children’s Center, where I fell in love with teaching preschool! My education is rooted in constructivism, and I have a passion for child-led, play-based learning. I believe children learn best by being active participants in their learning— interacting with their environment and engaging with the people in it.
When my daughter, Madilynn, was born in 2012, I left the classroom to stay at home full time. My daughter, Annabelle, was born in 2015, and we moved back to Grand Rapids in 2016. After welcoming my son, Gavin, in 2018, I found The Village in my search for Baby Sign Language classes! I love interacting with our community as Membership Coordinator, and I was thrilled to take on the role of instructor for Explore-a-Story.
After some soul searching, I applied and was accepted to the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Early Childhood Education graduate program in 2009. I was offered a position at UIC’s Children’s Center, where I fell in love with teaching preschool! My education is rooted in constructivism, and I have a passion for child-led, play-based learning. I believe children learn best by being active participants in their learning— interacting with their environment and engaging with the people in it.
When my daughter, Madilynn, was born in 2012, I left the classroom to stay at home full time. My daughter, Annabelle, was born in 2015, and we moved back to Grand Rapids in 2016. After welcoming my son, Gavin, in 2018, I found The Village in my search for Baby Sign Language classes! I love interacting with our community as Membership Coordinator, and I was thrilled to take on the role of instructor for Explore-a-Story.
