Greatness is found in places you’d never expect. Just ask Ms. VanZoeren.

  She was looking for something in education, and this just so happened to come into her life perfectly.“Things just fell into place,” she said.

  Ms. VanZoeren, Easterns’ newest instructional aide with special ed. “What made me want to start teaching this speciality was because kids are all I’ve ever known.”

  The unexpectancy of each day gives Ms. VanZoeren that special kindness which she is able to use with students. She sees this job as a challenge. “The children I work with are misunderstood in the way they act, talk, and some may have been bullied,” she said. “I want to fix that. I just hope to make them feel smart and secure with themselves.”

  The way she speaks of her students proves how much care she exhibits in Eastern, putting thought into how the students spend their day. She understands the struggles many of her students have, coming into a bigger school and finding ways to adjust, considering she grew up in a small, family oriented town.

  “My first day was quite nerve racking,” she said, “full of questions, yet I was treated like a new family member. I still have a color coded map, but I’m glad I feel so welcomed here.”

  From a young age she has used her kindness in ways to help children feel good about themselves, either with their learning skills, or simply having that sense of support from her. Before teaching at Eastern, she used her skills to tutor and has been babysitting since she was 16.

  She attended Rowan University, earning a degree in Liberal Studies, and has spent eight years in education.

Besides the endless makeovers and visits to the pool; with the young girl she nannies over the summer, she simply enjoys a good game of Uno alongside her two dogs.

   Mrs. VanZoeren already loves Eastern High School and can not wait to continue her journey with her students through high school.