As an elementary school student, I was not the student who loved reading, I was pretty neutral about learning, I cried over how hard homework was and loved to instigate others during research. In other words I added a few wrinkles to many of my teachers. This gives me an understanding for students which I believe teachers who loved school will never have. I see that for many of the kids school seems people controlling you because they can and learning with no use for the information in sight. I recognize that telling students a piece of work is important and stoping there is not enough, they may need to take that answer in the moment but in order for many students to produce their best they need to know the answer to an important question. Why?

In seventh grade my english teacher asked us to write a research paper about what career we would like to do in the future. I researcher being a zoologist and being a teacher. Quickly, into this research I realized that in practice I am afraid of most animals. During this time I decided that children are in their own way animals, now stick with me. By this I mean that students in the elementary grades are discovering what it means to work in a community, control their urges and instincts, and how to solve problems. I felt that having the opportunity help the students do this was very attractive.  Bonus: kids speak english and tend to bite less than animals.

I’ve held on to this career aspiration ever since, of course there has been some molding and slight re direction but the ultimate goal has always been the same. Help students become productive adults.

I was fortunate enough to go to a high school with a preschool built in. Through this opportunity I was able to experiment with whether or not I liked spending extended periods of time with students in a teaching capacity. I ,of course, loved my time working with kids and learning through this program. During this time I learned how to make a basic lesson plan, learned basic management techniques,  and also learned that I enjoy when the students are a bit older and capable of understanding more complex concepts.

In between high school and college I became working at Camp Fireside as a camp counselor. The first year I worked with the youngest group, this was an exhausting summer, but in the end taught me the importance of accepting the whole student and the importance of genuine relationships in an environment where you are asking children to trust and listen to you. The following years I became the assistant day camp director which meant that I got to spend time with the children who were having a tough day and needed some refocusing, the camp version of the assistant principal in a school. I loved this position because it allowed me to connect with students in times of need and watch them grow over time as short as a summer.

My college search was completed through an athletic recruiting lens. One day a coach came up and told me about Clark University, at first I was puzzled because there is no education program (referring to undergraduate) then he clued me into the MAT program. This was perfect! I knew that I wanted to teach, but I also knew I wanted as much active preparation as I could get. From that point forward the MAT program was my focus, end of senior year of high school all the way to admittance into the program.  

Now as I complete the program it’s time to set a new goal. 

My new goal is for my future classes and I to be lifelong learners, working together to grow, supporting, and caring for one another.