Education/Degrees

Bachelor of Arts (Degrees in Elementary Education and Studio Art, minor in Natural Science) awarded from Carthage College, Master of Arts (Degree in Early Childhood Education) awarded from Concordia University Chicago

About Me

Hello! My name is Jessica Rinka, and while this will be my third year of teaching Kindergarten at St. John Paul II Classical School, it will also be my seventh year of professional teaching experience.

I attended Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin and graduated with a double major in Elementary Education and Studio Art, and a minor in Natural Science. Upon graduating, I worked as a long-term substitute during the Spring semester teaching various middle school classes at St. Joseph Catholic Academy in Kenosha. I then taught 7th and 8th Grade Science and Project Lead The Way for two years at the Kenosha School of Technology Enhanced Curriculum. While I greatly enjoyed the subject matter I was teaching, I felt my passion for educating would grow by transition to a new position in which I could work with a younger age group of students. During the Summer of 2017, I relocated from Kenosha to De Pere and began working at St. Norbert College as a 4K Teacher in the campus Children's Center, as well as a Teaching Assistant for the Early Childhood Curriculum and Instruction undergraduate-level class. It was in this position that I truly discovered my love for working with young children, providing them with hands-on experiences to provoke higher-level thinking and invoke wonder. This discovery also inspired me to return to school myself, during which I earned my master's degree in Early Childhood Education at Concordia University Chicago. While I greatly enjoyed my position at St. Norbert College, I wanted to transition back into a traditional school setting as a positive next step in my career as an educator. I feel very blessed to be a member of the St. John Paul II Classical School community.

In my free time I greatly enjoy spending time with my family, being outdoors, working on art projects, crocheting, trying out new recipes for cooking and baking, reading, and collecting antique books.