Amy Van Allsburg is an educator in Holland, Michigan for West Ottawa Public Schools. She graduated from Hope College with an education degree and a learning disability endorsement. During her 33 years of teaching, she has taught special education, first grade, and fourth grade. Amy has served as Grade Level Chair for five years providing support and leadership for her 4th grade colleagues, and has been both a trainer and facilitator for the Future PREP’d program at OAISD, whom she credits for teaching her innovative ways to involve students in real world problem solving.
Amy’s love for teaching has been invigorated through PBL (Project Based Learning) opportunities. She is passionate about empowering her students to be creative problem solvers where their collaboration and decision making skills can thrive. In the past three years, Amy and her teaching partner have brought teams from the west side of the state to compete in the Michigan Design Challenge. Their team has won gold in their age division twice. Each year she has guided her students to trust the creative design process and enjoy the unique experience that the MDC offers, so the students will look back on their time with pride and a hopeful spirit for what they can accomplish in the future. Amy is thrilled to be involved with the Michigan Design Council, and she hopes to encourage more participation statewide in this wonderful industrial design experience.
Amy and her husband are both educators in Holland Michigan. They have two daughters who live in great cities to visit: Chicago and San Francisco. She and her husband enjoy visiting their daughters, hiking new trails, and exploring new places with their dog.