About Miss Burke
Hello everyone! My name is Jenifer Burke. I am thirty six years old and I live and teach in Flint, Michigan. I have been teaching for almost ten years. In that time, I have held several different teaching positions. I began my teaching career in a general education fifth grade classroom. From there I moved to an intervention position, working with small groups of students in grades 1-6. I taught a self contained ECDD transitional kindergarten classroom for five years. When that program was discontinued, I moved back into intervention, working with fifth and sixth grade students. This school year I work with only sixth grade.
I received my bachelors degree in early childhood education from University of Michigan Flint in December of 2004. While there, I majored in Mathematics and Language Arts. In fall of 2005 I returned to school to pursue a masters degree in special education. I graduated from Oakland University in December 2009 with endorsements in learning disabilities and emotional impairments. In January 2013 I returned to Oakland University to add an endorsement allowing me to work with students on the autism spectrum. I hope to have my endorsement finished in time for the 2014-2015 school year so that I can seek a position working with this population.
I received my bachelors degree in early childhood education from University of Michigan Flint in December of 2004. While there, I majored in Mathematics and Language Arts. In fall of 2005 I returned to school to pursue a masters degree in special education. I graduated from Oakland University in December 2009 with endorsements in learning disabilities and emotional impairments. In January 2013 I returned to Oakland University to add an endorsement allowing me to work with students on the autism spectrum. I hope to have my endorsement finished in time for the 2014-2015 school year so that I can seek a position working with this population.
Aunt Jenny!
On August 11, 2011, I officially became an aunt! Matthew is my first nephew, and one of the most adorable kids I know. He is incredibly smart, and I love watching the way his mind works. He is really fun to play with! He loves stories, puzzles, and his Magna Doodle.
On May 17, 2013 I became an aunt again when Nicholas Daniel Burke was born. Nicholas is little and curious and loves to see what his big brother Matthew is doing... even if Matthew doesn't always want him to!
That's Queen Crazy Cat Lady to You!
I don't have any kids of my own, just my cats. I have a huge soft spot for cats! Currently I have seven cats. Starting at the top left, Gidget. Gidget and her sister Badger (the brown and black kitty pictured below Gidget) are kitties I found in my garage when they were about a week old. They had been abandoned by their momma and had to be bottle fed so they would survive. When I found them they barely had their eyes open and they were still crawling around. Radar (the gray and white kitty in the bottom left corner) is from an animal Rescue in Romulus. She was originally a cat for someone else, but he didn't want her, so I kept her.
The four kitties in the middle are all from the same litter of kittens. I was taking care of them for my boyfriend, thinking I'd be able to find them good homes. Unfortunately I couldn't find anyone to take them, and by the time I realized I wasn't going to find someone to take them I was so attached I decided to keep them! The two black and white kitties are Mr. Curious (the one on the top) and Zorro (the one with the white stripe up his nose). The Siamese colored cat is Phoebe and the black cat in the bottom corner is Runt. Runt was originally named Runt because he was the smallest. Now his name is sort of a joke because he's the biggest cat of the whole litter!
The two cats on the end are cats that have passed away, but they are still a part of my heart, so when talking about my kitty family I have to mention them. Peanut (the orange and white kitty) was my first "all mine" cat. I got him when I was 16 and living in my first apartment. I came home one day to find that my boyfriend had surprised me with him. He was sitting in our orange chair with a blue ribbon tied around his neck. He was a very good cat. He loved Doritos and was friendly to everyone he met. I had 17 wonderful years with him, though there's not a day that goes by that I don't miss him. Kismet (the black cat on the far right) found me eight months after I lost Peanut. On the last day of summer school, he walked into my classroom. Every time I picked him up to put him back outside, he curled up in my chest and purred. It was like magic - I still feel like Peanut sent him to find me and look after me. I took him home and named him Kismet because I feel like it was fated that he found me. Unfortunately my time with Kismet was short. November 30, 2013 I had to put him to sleep because he had developed an incurable disease. The two years I had with him were awesome and I wish I'd had twenty more. He was my "dog cat" - he followed me through the house and meowed at doors when he couldn't follow me. He greeted everyone at the door and he was crazy for laser pointers. Losing him has been incredibly hard.
Love, Finally
In October 2013 I became engaged for the third time in my life. I think the third time is the lucky one! My fiance's name is Brandon. We've been going out for over two years. He's a truly wonderful guy. He takes good care of me, is kind, considerate, sweet, and incredibly thoughtful. I truly believe we will have a wonderful marriage. I am looking forward to our wedding, which is March 14, 2015. We are planning to get married at Longway Planetarium, under the stars!
Hobbies and Fun Stuff
When I'm not working, I try to spend as much time with my fiance', my family, my friends, and my kitty cats. When I'm not spending time with loved ones, I like to try different types of arts and crafts, work in my gardens, or work on my car.
Although I have tried lots of different arts and crafts from pottery to crochet to jewelry making, I have found that I like acrylic painting the best. The two pictures above (left) show paintings I painted for my nephew's rooms.
Last summer my fiance' and I built above ground garden beds in my backyard. I had a pretty successful grow season and I am looking forward to getting my beds going this spring! My aunt is going to teach me how to can so I can store more of my produce for winter consumption.
In February of 2008, I bought a 1997 Ford Mustang GT at an auto auction. I love Mustangs, but this particular Mustang has a soft spot in my heart because it is the Mustang that was out when I was 16. This was my first dream car. I didn't get to have it until I was thirty, but better late than never! My car has almost 180,000 miles on it but it's still in great running condition and it has been recently repainted, so it looks great too! Since I've gotten this car I have learned how to do some basic car maintenance for myself, which makes me feel good AND it saves me money when repairs are needed.
What Else?
Well, hopefully now you have a good idea of who I am! If you want to know more though, just ask! You can find my information on the contact page of this site. Thanks for reading!