Reflections on Classmates Introductions

I began reading Donya's post because of my knowledge of her son's disabilities. An interest to know more about his struggles in school led me to read her post. Donya's personal experiences drive her in her educational goals. People need to have a passion for their career choice and having personal experiences as a driving force can fuel that passion. So many children are over looked, considered nuisances, and thrown to the side because they are different. I feel the same way about so many children in our schools.  There is such a large number of students that have no one to speak for them, and they are not able to be advocates for themselves; therefore, there is a need for individuals to step up and take on this role. This is one aspect of teaching that excites me and drives my passion and motivation as well.  I want to not only guide students to success in school and education, but to be a voice for those who need a little extra.  I plan on this being a goal of mine throughout my career. 

Amanda's post struck an emotion in side me too. She stated that she is nervous about teaching certain content because she feels inadequate in that particular subject area. Well, I have experienced these exact same feelings. It is a scary feeling knowing that I will be teaching someone when I do not feel 100% confident. This is why I will be spending a lot of extra time studying high school subject area content. I want to be the best I can be, and my overall goal is to be an effective teacher. I cannot reach this goal if I am not fully prepared and knowledgeable in every area that I am teaching. It will be a challenge that I am looking forward to and definitely always up for! 

I read on a few posts the mention of Shannon Haley-Mize possibly being the instructor of the class in Pennsylvania.  If this is true then I am even more excited than before. When I was in school previously, I had her as an instructor and LOVED her!  Her style of teaching was great, as well as her humor and kindness.  Having the chance to work with her again would be a wonderful experience that I look forward too.