As a first year teacher, Rachelle Lipp welcomes students to room 406. Lipp graduated from Gehlen in Le Mars, Iowa in 2012, and from UNI in May 2016. Before she came to Atlantic, Lipp student-taught in Singapore during the winter of 2015. When explaining her experience she said it “was so awesome and I never had to scoop snow. In general, the students were very welcoming.” She explained that she taught in a  “well resourced” school. Lipp said, “I got to see how students reach the high expectations that you set.”

Lipp was in Singapore for a semester and left last January. While there, Lipp noticed how teaching differed from America. The school in Singapore is “probably four times the size of Atlantic.” She also noted how many teachers were there and the amount of meetings they would have. All of the teachers would collaborate to make sure they all were on the same page and that they all teach the same and equal amount.

Although Lipp has traveled so much, she said that she is doing “really well” adjusting to Atlantic, but it is very “exhausting” here. Lipp said she is “Excited to be here, and excited to learn about students and about life.”

Junior Alexis Handel is in Lipp’s American Lit and Creative writing classes. Handel said that Lipp is “very energetic and positive. At the beginning of creative writing we do 15 minutes of free reading or writing, and it’s a good way to wind down.”