Who I Am:
Hey! My name is Olivia and I am a Secondary English Ed major. I am currently in my senior year and I am very much ready to graduate! My college career has been kind of a wild ride.
When I first started school, I wanted to be dentist or some form of a healthcare professional. I was completely and whole-heartedly dedicated to this career... until I saw someone puke on the dentist I was shadowing. After that, I took a thorough look at my life, skills, and interests to decide what would be the next step. After a month or so of contemplative thought, I came up with a solution. I was so excited to begin my journey in law. I started taking the classes and preparing for the LSAT, but I still didn't feel right. I wasn't liking the path I was on and I was constantly worried I would hate my future. Finally, I channeled my inner first-grade-Olivia and declared education as the career for me.
Teaching as an occupation didn't just come to me randomly. I had a lot of experience in tutoring many different subjects and I always helped my younger sisters learn their own content. I enjoyed being in the school environment and would often times aid teachers in their duties while I grew up. But what really pushed me to become a teacher was the passion I found while working at Pleasant View Elementary School.
Pleasant View - or PV as we call it - is a grade school just a single block away from my house. My sisters had gone there, but I didn't as we moved to the neighborhood when I was already in middle school. I remember them always coming home and raving about their school day and their teachers and their friends. They absolutely loved it. So, when I was in need of a job and feeling too lazy to drive more than five minutes away, I decided to apply. It's now been 3 years since I joined as a Licensed Cross Categorical Educational Aid (CCEA for short because that is WAY too long) and I feel that I have found my place in the world. The work I do with my students reignites my passion for learning and education every day. The relationships I build with everyone around me reminds me of the importance of support. The connections I develop between knowledge and information instills the confidence I have in myself and my work. Teaching is just where I am meant to be.
Who I Want To Be:
While I completely and utterly enjoy being an educational aid, I do plan to move on to bigger and better things. I have many goals for my future, but I am not completely sure where I want to stop, yet. Obviously, my first step is to become an English Education teacher. I am beyond excited to be in a classroom of my own (hopefully at the middle school level), teaching English content in the best way I can possibly find. I want to change the minds of children in as many ways as I possibly can - from the rules of literature to the norms of society and beyond.
After becoming a teacher, things get tricky. I have so many ideas floating around, but deciding which one is the best for me is where I get nervous. I have said for the past three years that I will for sure become a principal. This still holds true, but I think it may be a bit longer before I get there because of one 'issue' - I have a passion for special education. After joining Pleasant View and working with children with special needs for a few years, I've realized I absolutely enjoy it. I love seeing the progress made in academics, communication, behaviors, and more. I love bringing a child out of the shell that they have built for themselves. I love watching a child complete a goal that has been impossible for them for years. It is beyond rewarding and it has changed my perspective on many different things. Because of this, I am now considering getting my special education license after graduation this year!
My final consideration is moving on from a principal role to higher education and administration. Superintendent? Curriculum Coordinator? Professor??? Who knows! All I know is I like to learn, I love to build relationships, and I am
enamored with the idea of bossing people around (just kidding...maybe). I'll eventually figure out these finer details sometime later in life.
Hi Olivia! I was the same way when I first started college. I was actually undecided my whole first year but I am happy that you chose education because we definitely need more teachers! I have been tutoring the past year and it has been really nice. I would definitely like to hear more about where you have tutored. I think it is amazing that one of your goals is to move higher up in the educational department. I loved hearing about your passion for special education. I would definitely want to hear more about that because I have a lot of students that have IEPs and we really are not given enough information on them. How long do you think you will be in special education before pursing a higher position?
ReplyDeleteHi Olivia. It is great to have you in class again.
ReplyDeleteHey Olivia,
ReplyDeleteYour post really resonated with me because I've also had a long and different college experience. I started as a nursing major at UW Eau Claire but realized that wasn't what I was passionate about. When I was thinking on what I would actually want to do with my life I remembered how much fun I had in my aunt's classroom "fake teaching" my siblings and how much I've always cared about education, specifically history hence my social studies concentration. I really admire your drive to go into administration and your passion for special education. I have some students with IEPs this semester and I'll be honest, it is a challenge I wasn't wholly prepared for. Both of those areas require so much drive and dedication. I look forward to hearing more from you this semester!
Hi Olivia, it is awesome that you have found your way into education and teaching. As I go further and further into my program in the School of Educaiton, I realize how passionate teachers and educators are and how they give their all in their profession.
ReplyDelete