Mrs. Madigan has a Bachelor’s Degree in human development and family studies from the University of Wisconsin – Stout, and a Master’s in Education from St. Kate’s. She has been with St. Ambrose since 2006. Before coming to St. Ambrose, she taught second grade for several years, which helped her understand where third graders are coming from! She also believes her job as a mother of three has prepared her to support her students not only academically, but emotionally, too. She understands first-hand how important it is to have structure and consistency, along with warmth, caring and a gentle touch.
Mrs. Madigan has always wanted to teach. (She even remembers being in second grade and using her closet doors as a chalkboard, which didn’t make her mother too happy, but she and her neighbors played school for hours and had a great time!) She feels every classroom presents a unique community of learners that varies not only in abilities, but also in learning styles. Mrs. Madigan believes that her role as a teacher is to give children the tools they need to reach success in their own way. She believes the key to her classroom starts with respect and branches out from there (“RESPECT” = Ready to learn; Excitement; Safe and secure; Patience and practice; Encouragement; Continuously building on our faith; Teaching and listening to each other).
Mrs. Madigan loves being a part of a Catholic school, where she can refer back to a shared Catholic faith anytime during the day. She likes that she can “live” out her faith each day with her students and fellow teachers. She also loves learning about new things and tries to teach her students how important it is to always want to know more – ask a lot of questions, make mistakes and try new things. She also enjoys being active and having fun.
“I learn from third graders how to be simple. I learn how amazing life is and how to celebrate all of our successes big and small. I learn that it is important to hear how important we are in this world. To hand out as many compliments and smiles to everyone we meet. I have also learned how to be a really great friend. To make sure students know how very special they are to me and how colorful they make my world!” – Tiffany Madigan