Welcome to Mrs. Chalpua's Blog!

Hello everyone!

I wanted to take a few minutes to introduce myself and share with you what you can expect to find on my Blog!

Who is Mrs. Chalupa?

I am a daughter, sister, friend, wife, and soon to be mom! I grew up in rural Iowa (West Liberty, to be exact). My home town has a population of around 3,700. My school district was composed of three surrounding towns coming together. I grew up as the 5th generation on our family farm. My family grows row crops (mostly soybeans and corn), has a 180 cow/calf operation, and 50 head of ewes. My husband Austin, and I are coming up on our 1 year wedding anniversary and although we do not currently live on the farm, we are still very much a part of all the daily operations. My husband grew up in a surrounding town, also part of a farm family. Austin and I are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first baby in just a few short weeks!

How did Mrs. Chalupa find her way into teaching?

As mentioned previously, West Liberty is a fairly small school district, but a very unique one at that! Our town has a unique population of which over 60% are a minority. Our town has a large turkey processing plant, West Liberty Foods, that draws many people for employment. During my senior year of high school, I was motivated by one of my teacher mentors to look into teaching and specifically in the area of Family and Consumer Sciences. This mentor happened to be my agriculture teacher who knew my passions for agriculture, family, and my appreciation of diversity. After one visit to Iowa State University, I never looked back- I knew I wanted to be a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher. I feel especially blessed in finding and knowing my path from such a young age. Once my eyes had been opened to this career opportunity, I never wavered. In fact, I was steadfast in my studies and graduated a semester early so that I could start my teaching career as soon as possible! After my student teaching experience in Houston, Texas (another blog post for another day!) I started my first teaching job in Muscatine, Iowa at the High School as one of the two full time FCS teachers. I started my 5th year at Muscatine this past January and am looking forward to many more! Muscatine has a similar demographic to West Liberty, but also its own unique community that provides its own unique challenges.

What is Mrs. Chalupa passionate about?

I am passionate about family, agriculture, innovative teaching, and helping students be successful beyond high school. One of the big reasons I love teaching Family and Consumer Sciences classes is because it brings together so many of my passions; an appreciation for food from farm to fork, teaching students how to care for and maintain healthy families and lifestyles, and preparing students for hands-on careers straight out of school. I love the deep connections and trust that I build with my students (family like) that keep them coming back to take more classes, ask for help, and checking in post high school. I have a deep passion for making learning relevant and applicable to students. I want my kids to walk out the door with a skill set that they can use in their daily lives and this transfers over to how I plan and aspire to teach.

What will Mrs. Chalupa blog about?

My blogging opportunities are endless but what I plan to share on here the most are the things, people, and tools that I am passionate about. You can expect blogs about the technology tools I use in my classroom that I find the most helpful, strategies for engaging high school students, and how to build strong relationships with students. Other topics that I hope to share my two cents on include creating and implementing hands-on Family and Consumer Sciences lessons/labs, escape rooms, and effective FCS classroom management techniques.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know more about me, my education, experience, and passions! I hope you enjoy my blog and give feedback as you read!

Katie