News

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Kirsti Dickinson got an unexpected education at Montcalm Community College

Kirsti Dickinson got an unexpected education at Montcalm Community College.  

 

While she planned to take her general education courses at the college where her mom works, she didn’t expect that general classroom interactions with two of her instructors would help her find a career she is passionate about. 

In fall 2010, Dickinson began her post-secondary education at MCC. While taking her general education courses, she realized how much she enjoyed language arts and thought she might consider a career as a language arts teacher.  

Emeritus Language Arts Instructor Jim Fatka played a significant role in developing Dickinson’s love for the English language and helped her refine her writing skills.  

As she continued at MCC, she stumbled upon another instructor who greatly impacted her future. While taking a mathematics class taught by Brianne Lodholtz, Dickinson was encouraged to act as a student teacher in the course. 

“During that math class I realized my love for teaching was serious,” she said. “It occurred to me that teaching both language arts and math is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life thanks to two influential instructors.”  

Dickinson transferred from MCC to Grand Valley State University with 49 credits. In 2016, she graduated with a degree in secondary education, with a major in math and minor in language arts. She is now a 7th-grade math teacher at Kelloggsville Middle School, in West Michigan. 

Dickinson said she enjoys where she’s at in her career, and in the future, she hopes to complete a master’s degree with the possibility of teaching at the college level.