Welcome to 3P! My name is Diane Popp, and I have taught third grade at St. John Paul II for 17 years. I graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington and completed my Master's Degree in Education at Indiana University Southeast. I began my teaching career at St. Anthony's School in Clarksville, Indiana. I taught 5th grade for ten years and enjoyed my experience with the children very much. When my husband and I began our family, I stopped teaching. For the next ten years I stayed home to raise our two children, Amy and Logan.
My family and I are members at St. John Paul II Catholic Church. My husband, Alvin, and I are graduates of Providence High School and both of our children graduated from there. Amy graduated from IUPUI with a Bachelor of Science in Health Services Management, and Logan graduated from Spalding University and is an Occupational Therapist. Catholic education has always been a priority in our family. Catholic education promotes self-discipline, healthy lifestyle choices, along with high academic and personal standards. It gives our children the tools to live a life of faith, service, and of love.
I feel very fortunate and blessed to be teaching third grade in a Catholic school. Third grade is a very rewarding year for our students at St. John Paul II Catholic School. We strive to develop the talents of students through quality in experience, learning, discipline, and relationships. We continue to develop reading fluency, comprehension, math, and language art skills. Because of our well-rounded academic curriculum, our students are very well prepared for third grade ISTEP testing. Our school's scores are in the 25th percentile in the state which earned our school the Indiana Department of Education’s highest award . . . the Four Star School Award.
I love St. John Paul II Catholic School, and am very happy to be part of this community. I hope that I am always able to have a positive influence on the children. With words of encouragement, respect, and simple gestures of kindness, I hope to promote the perfect climate for the students to study, learn, and grow.