Education has always been an important part of my life beginning with my family
and it has evolved to become important to me as an individual. I began my educational
career in Belton, Missouri just outside of Kansas City. It was a very rural area not very
rich with culture, just your basic Midwestern town. My very first memory of school is
playing with my good friend Mary at a pre-school for severely handicapped children
where my mother taught. Mary was blind, but at such a young age that didn’t seem to
bother me much. I suppose my experience there is indicative of the kind of person and
student I’ve become. I was exposed to differences at a very young age so as I got older
students and peers that seemed different from me didn’t make me uncomfortable.
As I continued with my education I had many experiences that I am sure most
people can relate to. I had some really awesome teachers like Mrs. Monszyk who tapped
dance on her desk when the entire class mastered their multiplication tables. But, I also
had Ms. Winkle who readily admitted to the class on the first day of school that she
didn’t like children very much. We stood in a straight line everyday for recess, and we
avoided any kind of interaction with her if at all possible. She was a teacher I didn’t wish
to emulate and maybe some of my motivation to enter the teaching profession is to make
sure that my students know how much I love children and value their thoughts and
feelings.
My family then moved to Virginia, and I started the eighth grade in a diverse new
school. This was my first exposure to differences relating to culture. I had previously
attended an almost all white school and now I was attending a middle school that was
about half African American and half white. My parents are very open-minded
individuals and I was raised to accept all people for who they are and not what they look
like. But, I have to admit it was a very huge adjustment for me. I grew more and more...