Ivy Ottmar: 'Everybody is supportive. They all want to see us all succeed.'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ivy Ottmar

4th Grade Teacher

Monte Vista School

Monte Vista School 4th grade teacher Ivy Ottmar’s hope for students is that they can continue to have a growth mindset in learning and know inside they are amazing and can do great things.

Ivy was inspired to pursue teaching by her own kids when she coached softball and baseball. The first game she coached, she says she was hooked. She pursued her bachelors and masters from California State University Monterey Bay, and she was placed at Monte Vista as a transitional kindergarten teacher when she was working on her credential.

 

Forming relationships is at the heart of teaching for Ivy. “It’s the first thing I always love to do at the beginning of the year and it takes you far.” The best part of her day is when she stands outside of her classroom and greets students. “I get to see past students, as well as students coming up. When they walk by I get to greet them good morning. They inspire me and I get to make that connection.”

Ivy lights up when talking about her class this year. “It’s amazing,” she says. “They (students) want to know everything. Our school has adopted the inquiry-based learning model and their (students) driving questions guide our teaching and learning. We are able to relate it to real-word problems through our curriculum. I really think that inquiry-based learning has really taken off and made a big difference in our teaching. We see the transformation in our class this year.”

Ivy really enjoys working for MPUSD because she feels like everyone is on her side. “Everybody is supportive. They all want to see us all succeed. I don’t see any boundaries here. It’s all about success. It’s all about support. (There is) kindness, growth, and room for opportunity,” she says. 

In addition to teaching, Ivy offers STEAM Club to students on Thursdays after school. She also enjoys spending time with her husband, children and two-year old Boxer named Walter. When she is not teaching, she can be found walking Walter, playing golf, watching her children play sports and volunteering at the local high school.