All About Mrs. Talsma
Hi! I hope you have enjoyed the Elementary music pages so far. I'm Charissa Talsma (Mrs. Talsma to students) and this is my sixth year teaching, with all six years of my experience being at Crossroads Charter Academy. I began teaching here in 2002, and for the first two years, I taught kindergarten. Although I enjoyed kindergarten immensely, when the position to teach music to the elementary students opened, I jumped at the chance, and have loved every minute of it.
I did my undergraduate work at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, and received my Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Cincinnati in December of 2007. I am married to Ben Talsma, one of the second grade teachers at Crossroads. In September of 2006, we welcomed our daughter Violet into our family. She is now one year old, and it's amazing how fast time flies. We also have one pet--a cat named Bu--and enjoy being outdoors, reading, bicycling, and other fun things.
My family resides on a farm in Iowa, where I was raised, and I love Big Rapids because it has the perks of a town, but the feel of the country.
Please feel free to stop by the music class anytime. I love having visitors, but if you do want to observe, please clear it with me in advance. There are activities that we do that work better if there isn't a parental/friend distraction in the room.
Please stop back at the website and visit often, as updates, pictures, and current happenings will be posted on it. Thanks for visiting!
Mrs. Charissa Talsma
If you'd like to see my professional résumé please click here: Charissa Talsma (.pdf format)
If you'd like to arrange a conference email me at talsmac@ccabr.org or call the school at 231-796-6589
If you would just like to stop by to chat find my schedule here: Elementary Music Schedule (.pdf format)