My Passion
When beginning the book Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess, I got stuck at the part where it asked, "What is your passion?" My path into education was not something that I had planned out, rather it was just the path that was set out for me, the one that I stumbled upon along the way.
I grew up in a family where education skipped my parents generation, but both grandparents on my mom side were educators. My grandfather had his PhD and worked his way up to college professor, while my grandmother worked at an elementary school. Growing up, summertime was spent playing school. Naturally, I was always the teacher because (for some odd reason) I liked the grading and paperwork part of teaching. I wish I had pictures of the set up of our make-shift classroom in my parents living room. Desks varied from TV trays to small tables and plastic make-up stands. There were chalk boards that eventually were replaced by dry erase boards. Frequently, there were arguments that had to be mediated by my parents over grading practices or the refusal of my siblings to do their homework.
As a child, I could have seen myself become an educator, but I'm not sure that it was ever planned out. When I was first was proposed with the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up," I told my parents that I was going to be a cashier at Pick N Save (our community grocery store). Growing up, I hated school. I was bored, I wasn't challenged, and I was picked on for being smart. What I hadn't realized was that these experiences would be the ones that would lead me to pursue my degree in education.
I was at a point in my college education in which I had attended the community college and had taken as much math and science as I could (those two subjects were my strengths and the ones that I enjoyed). I also had completed their 2 year associates degree. Shortly thereafter, my mom had a conversation with me and asked me what I wanted to do with life. That is when I had absolutely no idea. I had no plan. I had no path. I was so "stuck in the moment" with getting through high school that I didn't look forward. Pretty soon the community college wouldn't let me earn anymore credits from them; while the entire time I had just been buying time before I had to make a decision. I could have been a professional student for life, and little did I know, that was what I was about to become. The decision came down to listing my experiences and what I enjoyed. Most of my free-time was spent either mentoring or coaching students. Education seemed like a natural fit, and I made the leap and transferred to a 4 year University.
Three years into my profession, I revisit the question, "What is my passion? Why am I an educator?" I struggled with this thought for a bit and couldn't move forward in the book until I answered this question for myself. Everything since my undergraduate work has fallen into place for me. Senior year of high school I switched schools and got a fresh start. Before receiving my college diploma, I had presented at two national teaching conferences (NABT and NSTA). I landed an internship for my student teaching, an opportunity that only a select few are able to take advantage of. Upon graduating, I had a position at the district where I interned as a substitute teacher that very quickly ended up in a long term substitute position, and finally a contract the following school year. My first year of teaching I attended Google Midwest Summit in Wisconsin Dells and later that year the Google Productions Team visited my classroom for a week to create a marketing video for their GAFE tools. The months following, I'm traveled all over the Midwest obtaining an excitement about all of the possibilities in education and using technology (that I don't have in the classroom) at free EdCamps. This is only a small snapshot of the opportunities and professional development that have shaped the teacher that I have become today. What it really came down to, is I was hungry for learning.
Learning is my passion. This was evident in my childhood as well. In 5th grade I remember sending numerous letters to NASA asking for free "stuff" and resources. I would carry a 2 in binder of these resources to and from school everyday, adding to my collection as more arrived in the mail. In 8th grade I was writing a letter to weatherman Vince Condella at Fox 6 news for information on tornado awareness week. What it came down to, is I never stopped learning. This should have been figured out when I graduated as an undergraduate with 220 credits. I majored in Biology Secondary Education with an Ecology/Field Biology emphasis, chemistry and Spanish minors, and a broadfield science endorsement. During my first year of teaching, I also added endorsements in earth/space and environmental studies to lead me to my current position where I teach AP Environmental Science and chemistry. I sought out nearly every opportunity presented to me for professional development. I had a hard time saying no. As an educator, you are constantly learning and evolving, and that leads to my engagement and my passion in my profession. I didn't always dream of being an educator, but everything has seemed to fall into place for me. I was afraid of eventually getting bored with this profession, but boy was I mistaken! Participating in my weekly Twitter chats #wischat #tlap #1to1techat definitely keeps me going!
I grew up in a family where education skipped my parents generation, but both grandparents on my mom side were educators. My grandfather had his PhD and worked his way up to college professor, while my grandmother worked at an elementary school. Growing up, summertime was spent playing school. Naturally, I was always the teacher because (for some odd reason) I liked the grading and paperwork part of teaching. I wish I had pictures of the set up of our make-shift classroom in my parents living room. Desks varied from TV trays to small tables and plastic make-up stands. There were chalk boards that eventually were replaced by dry erase boards. Frequently, there were arguments that had to be mediated by my parents over grading practices or the refusal of my siblings to do their homework.
As a child, I could have seen myself become an educator, but I'm not sure that it was ever planned out. When I was first was proposed with the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up," I told my parents that I was going to be a cashier at Pick N Save (our community grocery store). Growing up, I hated school. I was bored, I wasn't challenged, and I was picked on for being smart. What I hadn't realized was that these experiences would be the ones that would lead me to pursue my degree in education.
I was at a point in my college education in which I had attended the community college and had taken as much math and science as I could (those two subjects were my strengths and the ones that I enjoyed). I also had completed their 2 year associates degree. Shortly thereafter, my mom had a conversation with me and asked me what I wanted to do with life. That is when I had absolutely no idea. I had no plan. I had no path. I was so "stuck in the moment" with getting through high school that I didn't look forward. Pretty soon the community college wouldn't let me earn anymore credits from them; while the entire time I had just been buying time before I had to make a decision. I could have been a professional student for life, and little did I know, that was what I was about to become. The decision came down to listing my experiences and what I enjoyed. Most of my free-time was spent either mentoring or coaching students. Education seemed like a natural fit, and I made the leap and transferred to a 4 year University.
Three years into my profession, I revisit the question, "What is my passion? Why am I an educator?" I struggled with this thought for a bit and couldn't move forward in the book until I answered this question for myself. Everything since my undergraduate work has fallen into place for me. Senior year of high school I switched schools and got a fresh start. Before receiving my college diploma, I had presented at two national teaching conferences (NABT and NSTA). I landed an internship for my student teaching, an opportunity that only a select few are able to take advantage of. Upon graduating, I had a position at the district where I interned as a substitute teacher that very quickly ended up in a long term substitute position, and finally a contract the following school year. My first year of teaching I attended Google Midwest Summit in Wisconsin Dells and later that year the Google Productions Team visited my classroom for a week to create a marketing video for their GAFE tools. The months following, I'm traveled all over the Midwest obtaining an excitement about all of the possibilities in education and using technology (that I don't have in the classroom) at free EdCamps. This is only a small snapshot of the opportunities and professional development that have shaped the teacher that I have become today. What it really came down to, is I was hungry for learning.
Learning is my passion. This was evident in my childhood as well. In 5th grade I remember sending numerous letters to NASA asking for free "stuff" and resources. I would carry a 2 in binder of these resources to and from school everyday, adding to my collection as more arrived in the mail. In 8th grade I was writing a letter to weatherman Vince Condella at Fox 6 news for information on tornado awareness week. What it came down to, is I never stopped learning. This should have been figured out when I graduated as an undergraduate with 220 credits. I majored in Biology Secondary Education with an Ecology/Field Biology emphasis, chemistry and Spanish minors, and a broadfield science endorsement. During my first year of teaching, I also added endorsements in earth/space and environmental studies to lead me to my current position where I teach AP Environmental Science and chemistry. I sought out nearly every opportunity presented to me for professional development. I had a hard time saying no. As an educator, you are constantly learning and evolving, and that leads to my engagement and my passion in my profession. I didn't always dream of being an educator, but everything has seemed to fall into place for me. I was afraid of eventually getting bored with this profession, but boy was I mistaken! Participating in my weekly Twitter chats #wischat #tlap #1to1techat definitely keeps me going!
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