What Comes Next....

     I have really enjoyed taking my intro to Elementary Education course over the last few months, but most of all it was the student learning that really helped me. I have always felt my place was to be with children, to help them learn and grow. As a mom of 5, that desire has only grown more as I have been raising my children over the last 13 years. I undeniably am thrilled with the idea of becoming a teacher. I won't say it will be easy, nothing worth having ever is, but I know all the work I put in will pay off in more ways than I could ever imagine.

   I have always loved learning. I remember being 5 or 6 and having a little Chalk board isle in my basement where I lined up all my stuffed animals and taught them their ABC's. I have always had a love for education. I was always the book worm, staying inside or laying on a blanket under a tree with my nose in a book. I was the straight A kid who stayed up countless hours doing homework and every ounce of extra credit available just because I wanted to. That love and desire to learn has stayed with my my whole life, but as I have gotten older, that desire has changed into also wanting to teach others all that I have learned.

   Over the years when my oldest children were younger, I helped create neighborhood joy schools, where we would meet together as a simple preschool and have fun lessons and sensory activities. As I have moved around, new groups were created, and it was such an amazing experience. I can't wait for the opportunity to have a classroom of my own and to share all with children the love of learning! Watching children discover new things, fell capable and proud of who they are and what they can do, and being a influence for good in their lives is what drives me to work hard and progress toward my goal of becoming a teacher.

    I was accepted into the Clinical Elementary Education program at UVU. Starting next fall, I and 29 other students will be working alongside Elementary School Teachers in the classroom, and taking all of our courses together at the rotating 3 Elementary Schools. I am so excited that I was able to earn a place in this program!! I'm a bit overwhelmed by the idea of taking 17 credit hours, working at a school all day 2 days week, and managing my busy life, but I know it will all work out. The idea of working in a classroom from day one, and learning in a hands on way is truly what excites me. The plan is to complete all of my schooling I need for my Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education by next Summer, and then take an internship position for Fall of 2020. I am so blessed to be supported by my husband and children in my endeavors to go back to school, but most of all, I feel blessed to be able to go and show my children that you are never to old to stop learning.

Student Learning Reflection

    I have been thinking about all that I have learned this semester as it begins to come to a close. It has been over 12 years since I finished my Associates degree and decided to return to school. It has been a journey for sure, but I have also learned quite a bit about myself. I have learned that I can do hard things, and really balance school and family, much more than I could have just starting out. I feel so much more prepared to be a teacher, and I feel like 13 years of raising my 5 children has helped me become so much more prepared, patient, and understanding off all that it means to help children grown in body and mind. It took many years to decide that this is really what I want to do with the rest of my life, and the more time I have spent inside a classroom, the more I truly know that this is where I belong. 

   I have had a great deal of fun working with students, learning from my cooperative teachers and having opportunities to work with students one on one. I feel like I have made deep lasting connections between what I am learning in my elementary education classes and the real time implementation in the actual classroom setting. I just got into the clinical elementary ed program for next year, and I am so thrilled. I think it will be such a valuable and wonderful experience having the opportunity to be in a classroom full time several days a week from day one. What better way to prepare to be a teacher than by working side by side with them in a classroom. I have always learned best with hands on experience, and I truly believe that service learning will be the key to my success and help me feel so much more prepared to have classroom of my own. 

   This blog has definitely been a new experience for me! It has also been a valuable tool for me to blog or journal about my learning experience and really make connections in my learning. I really feel like this is something that I would love to continue, if only for myself and my family to see what is happening and how much I have learned through the process. I look forward to adding pictures, and making it a fun place for my students and their families to eventually check in and connect with what is happening in the classroom.