Personal Statement

My eyes get drawn by the vibrant green thank you card; given to me on my last day working at a preschool with my first paycheck is in front of it. I felt so accomplished getting it in the mail and though the amount of clothes I bought was a little concerning, the job taught me about myself. I never knew how much I loved helping kids furthermore, helping people. Normally, I am quiet and reserved, but early on I realized how important taking more leadership with the kids was. Most essentially, I learned how to save money. The last day was bittersweet; on the one hand, I was excited to go and play softball, but on the other hand, I knew I would miss working with kids.

The twenty-five stories that are contained in the book, My First Year As A Teacher, are about real teachers and their experiences during the first year of teaching. Each story is different. Some are about memorable students while other stories are about some of the hardships that are encountered as a novice teacher. The diverse sampling of stories in this book gives insight of what kind of problems one might encounter as a teacher, yet they also describe how rewarding the profession can be. I found it rather difficult to choose only ten stories as my favorite but after much consideration and rereading I decided on the following stories because in many ways I could relate to the students as well as the teachers that are given life in these stories.

I am usually able to cope with endings fairly well. I get sad thinking about endings for maybe a day or two and then am ready to move on. As I think about ending my practicum, I get excited to move on to the next step in my life. However, I also get sad realizing that I will miss the people that I had the opportunity to work with, and I do not know if I will get to see them again. I am a little bummed that I was not able to see the whole adoption process with the same family, but I am also thankful that I was able to see the whole process with different families. When it comes to endings, I like to spend time with everyone, so that I can say my goodbyes at the same time. My supervisor threw me a little going away party, so that was a good way to have closure with the team, and was then able to meet with individuals to say goodbye.

I was super excited because I loved assemblies and especially surprise assemblies. The principal, Mr. B, looked very somber and gloomy. He spoke a few words about what happened that day. I could not hear him too well due to the cars going by on the street. One of our janitors, Mr. Stevens, was a musician. So, while playing his acoustic guitar, he sang the National Anthem. There was total silence in the crowd of teacher and students ranging from kindergarten to sixth grade. After he was done, everyone took a moment of silence. It was a long moment of silence. From this day on, every year, the school would go to the front lawn, surround the flagpole, and take a moment of

At the end of the day the children are pick up by their parents or guardian and they say goodbye to all the children and teachers. When one of the two teachers leaves before the children are gone all the children rush and say their

Sure, it was a good way to bond with the team, but it had a much deeper meaning the next three years. As I talked to the kids, I found out they had spent a large part of their lives in hospitals getting chemo or radiation treatment, and truly fighting for their lives. They had been through so much at such a young age, and this was one event where they could have fun with their family and friends. This was one night where everyone left their worries at the door and just had fun for one night. As I gave my time to this event helped me realize that I took life and health for granted, and these families don’t have that opportunity. My mindset changed from being selfish to selfless. I also realized that if I have the opportunity to give back to the people, that I should.

Lee University’ mission in scholastic curriculums is, “to develop within the students’ knowledge, appreciation, understanding, ability, and skills which will prepare them for responsible Christian living in a complex world.” In implementation, the practice of ethical action, redemptive service and responsible citizenship within the church, local community, and globally, are emphasized. As an older student at Lee University, I admit that these values were heavily communicated to me, by my mother, from an early age. After high school, I did not pursue a vocation and worked in a factory in Alabama for a couple of years. It was during this time, that I realized, that God wanted more out of and for me. I returned home to Tennessee, and by

It was the one that decided whether I will get to teach my students junior year or not. The meeting went so well with me explaining how all of their gares have gone up a lot and how their reading scores have improved tremendously. These students have become my family and family for each other. There is really no other teacher that could teach the kids how I have. When I walked up to my students I saw them have a true appreciation for what I have done with them and how far they have come. I was standing right in front of them and they asked whether I would be touching them again or not. What i said next was the best thing ever! I told them that I would be teaching them junior and senior year! Eva ran up to me and gave me a big hug. I am so thankful for room 203 and all of the people in it. I cannot wait for the next two years and all of the accomplishments my students will

As mush as I have looked forward to this day, I can’t help but dislike this ending. We will never again experience the feeling of relief when the bell rings at 3:30. We will never again experience the rush of playing in front of the home crowd under this dome or waking up super early for speech meets. We will never again experience that awkwardness of our first homecoming dance. But endings are inevitable, and today we say goodbye to everything that was familiar, everything that was comfortable, and move on. Even though we are leaving, these moments that we have created here will remain a part of us no matter where we go. Our memories here will be our solid ground for the future and the people here will always remain in our hearts. Always. As Dr. Seuss once said, “Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.” Thank

Growing up, the only constant was change. My formative years were spent in very diverse environments that were polar opposites of each other, from the San Francisco Bay Area to Orange County, CA to Dallas, TX. Having experienced the various beliefs and ideologies held in these vastly different settings, I have developed a more nuanced understanding of the world around me.

Confused, petrified, and slightly excited were the emotions that ran through my body during this brief time in my life. Thinking back on the moments in life that assisted in me choosing my career path brings up many mixed emotions. The moment I chose the career path I wanted to go on is my first year at Dunbar Middle Magnet School, sixth grade to be exact. It was the first week of school and all the students in my class had to stand up and introduce ourselves and tell what we wanted to be in life. At that time in life, the option of being a princess was over and I had to begin to brainstorm what career will best suit me in life. My sixth grade English teacher gave everyone a set time to work on an “I want to become a…” project. She gave us two weeks to finish the project and within those two weeks my life would begin to change for the better. Although I was slightly in a state of confusion, I was more enthusiastic about this upcoming project. Also, there will be a very drastic life changing experience that happened to me that assisted in me choosing the career path I wanted to pursue.

I graduated at the top of my class and my father bestowed a trip upon me to New York City with my friend Liz and her family. As a bonus, Liz father took us to New York a day before my 18th birthday and the following day took us to watch the fireworks. I was thrilled to see the city for the first time in my life and excited at what it had to offer.

I can’t speak for all, but I believe the majority of you will miss this calm life with a close community backing you up every step of the way. It’s a rough world out there and some days you’ll miss the serenity of sitting back in a chair and relaxing with no loud city cars interrupting you. Six years ago I never would’ve imagined myself saying that but here I am. There are some things you won’t miss, like sitting behind a tractor in traffic or not being able to have pizza delivered to your house. I get that. But don’t forget where you came from, I certainly won’t. And as I close this speech, I’d like to give a sincere thank you to the teachers and faculty of the schools, for without you guys, this place wouldn’t be what it is. You have certainly impacted my life along with hundreds of others. And to my fellow classmates, thank you for putting up with my speech, I know you guys are just as hot as I am in this gown. I wish all of you the best of luck in whatever the future has in store for you. If anything, we will always be able to brag that we were the first class to graduate with the Hardee’s across the street from the high school. Thank

At the very beginning of my freshman year at Harris County High School, I looked at my schedule and I realized I was in Journalism. I was absolutely ecstatic; Jesus himself couldn’t make me any happier. The fact that I actually made it in made me all tingly and excited! At first I thought that Yearbook would be like every high school movie ever; all of the smart, unrecognized, but the necessary people got passes onto the football field to snap a few PERFECT pictures. Honestly, I thought every picture I took would be perfect. I never knew how to edit a picture beyond a snapchat filter, and I didn’t think I’d have to learn either. I thought every teacher would let you interview whomever you wanted, whenever you wanted. I never realized how hard choosing people to interview would be either. My biggest mistake was believing it was an easy free period.

That day was one of the best days of my life. My whole family was together, no aura of darkness hovering over us because of bitterness and arguments. We were all smiling and laughing and having a wonderful time. That was all I could ever ask for. My family all together. They can be stubborn at times like my dad making me jump off a mini cliff (it still counts as a cliff), but they bring out the best in me. Johnson Shut-ins was just