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About Ms. Jasztal-

  • Name- Ms. Jasztal
  • Birthday- May 24th
  • I am a(n)- daughter, fourth grade teacher, leader, believer, author, reader, artist, traveler and photographer.
  • I am not a(n)- athlete or dancer. (I am probably one of the least physically coordinated people on the planet at times.) I am also not a wife or mother... yet.
  • Credentials-
    -High School- Central High School, Brooksville, Florida. I belonged to the National Honors Society, Student Council, Beta Club, Silvertones Choir, and other groups. I graduated with a 3.83 GPA.
    -College- Flagler College, St. Augustine, Florida. I graduated Magna Cum Laude and in the top 15 of my graduating class.
    -Other- I was honored to be chosen as Scholastic.com's Teacher Advisor for grades 3-5 for the 2009-2010 school year. Additionally, after this year of working with Scholastic, I plan to go back to college for my Master of Arts in Elementary Reading. Nova Southeastern University is my first choice for graduate school. Originally I desired to get my doctorate as well, yet I am not sure whether I will go for it or not.
  • Books I Have Written for Kids- Stronger Than Miles (2002), The Frightening, Dark and Shaky First Day of Fourth Grade (2004), Second Chances (Chapter Book) (2009). I have also written a play about St. Augustine that my students have performed since 2006.

    Interesting facts about Ms. Jasztal-

  • I am fascinated with giraffes. Eventually, I will go on the safari where I can see the giraffes up-close.
  • I correspond with authors online every once in a while- Barney Saltzburg, Dean Lorey, Cynthia Lord, Esme Raji Codell, and Todd Fonseca. My "number-one" children's author is Sharon Creech, so I hope at some point and time that we can correspond, even if it is once.
  • My favorite types of books- I enjoy reading and writing realistic and historical fiction. However, some fantasy books intrigue me, and I tend to find a lot while perusing in bookstores that interest me greatly.
  • I have a goal to travel to all fifty states- eventually. Obviously, I don't have the means or the time yet. Prior to 2005, I had only been to five states- Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina and Missouri. I had to change that quickly, so I agreed to go on a fast-paced, adventure-filled road trip with my mother in June (2005). We were able to see North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Yet it certainly did not stop there. The following summer, I told my best friend (a kindergarten teacher) that I wanted to meet a few of my aunts and cousins in Wisconsin. We turned out going through Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Not long after that, I was also able to see a little bit of Ohio. June 2007 brought another adventure- Michigan. Obviously I need to drive west, but I haven't found a reason to do so yet. I don't know if I got this all correct exactly, but I have been to 19 states.
  • I have also been to Canada and through Washington D.C. a little. (Obviously D.C. is not a state- otherwise, I would have bragging rights to #20!)
  • I have a lot of goals for myself professionally. After attending and graduating from graduate school, I hope that I can get at least one book published. I mentioned that I have friends who are authors, yet of course it is a challenge to even go down that road in the first place. Of course, I want to help my students to make all kinds of neat resources online as well- podcasts, an awesome, interactive magazine, and videos. I have already achieved a few goals- one, of course, was doing anything possible for Scholastic. For some reason, I have also always wanted to speak to the education majors at my college, which will happen (tentatively) in November 2009.
  • Attending theatrical events and concerts is also exciting for me- I am absolutely intrigued by music.
  • I listen to most kinds of music and admire many, many recording artists and groups.

    Most importantly, I value education and let my students know I value them greatly. They may not believe it, but they make me stronger and give me hope for a brighter future every day.

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