Monday, January 3, 2011
Introduce Yourself on 01-13-2011
Tell us about yourself (family, schooling, hometown, hobbies, pets, birthday, etc.) in the Introduce Yourself post. Also tell us why you chose the field of elementary education and who influenced you to go into education. Your posts will help us build a community of learners.
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Type your introduction in a word document. Then copy and paste your introduction here to post it in our class blog.
ReplyDeleteWelcome everyone! My name is Kimberly Stoppel and I will be your instructor for TEEL 480/481 Corrections in Reading Disabilities. I am so eager to meet each of you and help you strengthen your evaluating and teaching skills in the area of reading. I have been an educator for 28 years. My passion is the early elementary grades where it “all begins!” But, I have experience teaching the intermediate grades in summer intervention programs. I am a new instructor here at Fort Hays this year. I have decided that I can make a difference in many “little” lives by working with future educators. It has been an exciting journey so far! I live in Russell, Kansas which is just 30 miles east of Hays. My husband Blaine and I raised 3 wonderful children in a 100 year old two story house that we renovated ourselves 23 years ago. We have two pets, a chocolate lab named Champ and a coal black cat named Spanky. I love to read, (obviously!), cook, and even do some trap shooting once in awhile! My favorite hobby is playing in a hand bell choir at my church. I will tell you a little bit about each of my family members during the first class session via adobe connect! It is my goal to make sure each of you becomes comfortable and competent in administering informal reading assessments and interpreting the results. I look forward to a fun semester!
ReplyDeleteIntroduction
ReplyDeleteMy name is Margaret Waddell. A little about me, my birthday is Feb. 3 and this year I will be celebrating #36. I currently live in Pleasanton, KS, which is located in SE Kansas. I have been married to my husband for 11 years and I have a 13 year old daughter. I grew up in Pleasanton and love the small town life. My family is close and most live here. Some of my hobbies are scrapbooking, of course since I started back to school I don’t have much time for it right now, spending time with my husband and daughter, movies or just hanging out at home. We have 3 dogs and 1 cat, I just say we have a small zoo at home; 2 of our dogs are lab mixes and inside, the other is a boxer/greyhound mix that spends his time outside and enjoys being able to run and play. We have also adopted a stray cat that lives out on our deck.
I graduated from Pittsburg State University in 2000 with a Bachelor Degree in Biology, but unfortunately have done nothing with my degree. Before deciding to go back to school and complete my Elementary school degree, I worked 7 years for a mortgage company in Overland Park, KS, until the company closed. When I was laid off, I decided that I would spend some time substituting and enjoying my time at home with my daughter. It was working with the younger children that I decided that teaching them is what I wanted to do. My husband and family have been very supportive of my decision. I am in my last semester before I student teach and very excited to have my own classroom. I think I would have to say that my mom and my aunt influenced me to go into education. My mom teaches in junior high Science and English and my aunt is a retired 5th grade teacher. The teaching background is strong in my family, as I also have a cousin that teaches junior high and high school history. I would like to teach in kindergarten to 3rd grade. The children at these ages are fun and excited to learn.
My name is Lori Amaro. I will be 23 on March 14 and have been living in Ford, KS for 20 years. I am the mother to a 4 ½ year old busy little boy. He is in preschool this year in Bucklin. I am employed at Bucklin Elementary as a para professional in the first grade classroom. I live a pretty busy life between my son, work, and online classes. This is my last semester before student teaching. I graduated from Bucklin High School in 2006 and 5 days later gave birth to my son. After taking a year off, I began attending Dodge City Community College, where I graduated with my associates from in May 2009. After receiving that degree, I decided to continue my education through Fort Hays State University. After I receive my bachelor’s degree, I plan on staying near to home, hopefully finding a job in the Dodge City School System. The only downfall to my plan is transporting my son to Bucklin Schools, where I would like him to continue attending until he graduates. Most of my free time I spend with my son playing games and going to fun places, other than that I like to hunt, watch movies, and I enjoy shows that involve solving crimes. I will be the first person in my family to graduate from a university and cannot wait to be a teacher! I look forward to this semester and what each course entails.
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ReplyDeleteHi, my name is Jen Hittle, I will be turning the big 30 in July. I currently reside in Ulysses, KS. My husband and I moved here about 3 years ago. I have been married for 6 years and I have three children. Lexi is 5, Preston just turned 3, and Britnee will be 2 in April. I have my hands full with my little ones. I work part time for Communities In Schools of Grant County. I am originally from Garden City, this is where I graduated high school and junior college, I then went on to KSU (GO CATS) and received my Bachelor’s Degree in 2004 my emphasis was behavior disorders and child welfare. I am also the Children’s Director at church. I currently do not have a ton of hobbies, I enjoy cooking, spending time with my children, and my husband is trying to get me involved in hunting. I will try it this year. (wish me luck)
ReplyDeleteI have always wanted to be a teacher and make a difference in a child’s life, but it wasn’t until we moved to Ulysses and I had my son that the door was opened for me to go back to school. I have a loving family that supports me and especially my dreams. If I can help at least one child (preferable more) gain knowledge, self-respect, and most of all determination to make their dreams happen then I would be forever grateful.
In response to Lori A,
ReplyDeleteI used to go to Bucklin for work when I lived in Pratt. I worked for Arrowhead West. I still have a couple of friends that live there. It is a nice small town. I am so proud of you and your goal to be the first to graduate from a University. What a fantastic accomplishment. I also like to watch shows that have to deal with solving crimes. My husband is a huge hunter and I am going to try it this coming year. Good luck in the upcoming semester. How much more do you have to do before you graduate?
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Jacki Cooper. I have been married for 4 years and my husband and I have a 3 year old daughter and a 9 week old son. My birthday is May 14th. I will be celebrating 24 years of life this year! I currently live in Salina, KS and I am blessed to be able to stay home with my kids and focus on school. This is my last semester of coursework before I start student teaching. I love school, but I am excited to be done with this first chapter in my educational experience. I would like to get my Masters Degree in Education or Education Administration after I finish my Bachelors Degree, but my first passion is teaching in the elementary classroom.
My husband and I enjoy exercising and being outdoors. We love to hike, camp, bike, swim, etc. After I finish school we would love to move to Colorado Springs if there are jobs available for us.
We have one dog. He is a mix between a chihuahua and a pug (a lot of people think this is a strange mix, but he's SO cute!). We adopted him from the shelter last May and he has been a wonderful addition to our family.
I have always had the desire to be a teacher. When I was younger I taught myself to read before I started school by reading through elementary reading textbooks that my mom bought at a garage sale. I would force any person, or at time resort to setting up my dolls to play school with me. I have had many wonderful teachers, but the one teacher who really made me want to go into teaching was a high school history teacher. He did not enjoy teaching, in fact he didn't really teach. We would read our text books, answer the questions, watch videos, and copy typed notes off of the overhead projector. Of course I had him for World History, Constitution and Economics throughout my time as a high school student. Teaching is not easy, and I try very hard to respect and be nonjudgmental about each and every teacher I meet, but this teacher would watch football video during class while he piled on our paper workload. I do not want students to think that this is what school and learning truly is. I want them to get excited, enjoy learning, and become active in the application of the new skills they gain.
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ReplyDeleteHi Lori,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy the fact that we are now getting closer to the end of our degree programs because I am beginning to recognize many of the names of people throughout the majority of my classes. Congratulations on being the first person in your family to graduate from a university. I know it is not always easy parenting, working, and being a student but it shows what a hardworking person you are. I am very excited to start teaching as well. I feel that it is such an exciting profession.
My name is Irving Glenn, II. I am a native of North Carolina and currently reside in North Carolina. I’m not married and have no kids so I figured this would be the opportune time to complete my undergrad in an area I believe so much in – Education! I am 24 years old as of latter 2010; I have always wanted to be an Educator and Administrator since being a child but was inspired by my 6th grade teacher, Mr. Bell who is now Dr. Bell. Im completed my Associates degree in 2008 and transferred to FHSU in 2009. If I don’t have to be anywhere I prefer staying in the comfort of my home with my German Schnauzer, "Princess" and a watch few movies over some baked sugar cookies and milk. I do like shopping for deals (along with my mother) on just about anything useful and going out to eat with friends and my Dad. I am blessed to have my parents support me while I finish my undergrad education. I hope to be done this year!
ReplyDeleteHi Irving,
ReplyDeleteDo you like North Carolina? I have always heard that it is a really great place to visit. My husband and I have wanted to take a trip there just to see it and explore. Any recommendations on great places to go? We have not traveled East, besides one quick trip to New York City. It is wonderful to have the support of parents when going to school. It's great that they are there for you. My parents have been such a great help, especially because I have two small children at home. I hope that you have a really great semester!
Hi everyone! My name is Kacey Fulton. I grew up in Greensburg, Kansas (yes, I'm a small town girl and love it!) I enjoy scrapbooking, being outdoors, cooking, and spending time with my family and friends.
ReplyDeleteI knew since I was a little girl that I wanted to be a teacher. I was always teaching my dolls or playing school with my younger sister. My dad is the principal back home so I spent lots of time in and around the school. My family also has a strong teaching background so that influenced my decision to go into this profession as well.
This is my last semester before student teaching so this is a very exciting year for me! I look forward to a great semester!
Hello, my name is Jaclyn Brooke Ward, I go by Brooke! It is so nice to see you all again in this class! I enjoyed reading the blog for you guys in our Reading Methods class! I am really like the blogs! Anyhow a little bit about myself! I am married to my college sweetheart of almost 10 years! We have two beautiful little girls, Kyleigh is 6 and Taylor is 4! This is my second degree in Education. I graduated from Pittsburg State in 2000 with a Bachelor in Family and Consumer Sciences an emphasis in Early Childhood and a minor in Psychology. I am from a small town in SE Kansas, Baxter Springs! My husband and I are raising a family in Wichita and I love it here! This is my final semester before I student teacher! I have been waiting for this class for a while, I am so excited for this class! Teaching children to read is something that I have always felt I needed more background knowledge! I can't wait to see what this class has to offer! Good luck everyone and I can't wait to read your blogs again!
ReplyDeleteMarget, I have a great friend who is from Pleasanton we went to Coffeyville JUCO our first two years of school! I also have another friend who moved to Pleasanton during our Middle School years!
Mrs. Stoppel, my husbands side of the family used to live in Russell!
Hello everyone! My name is Kim Diaz. I recognize a few names from last semester. I have been married to my husband for 10 years and we have 2 beautiful girls. They will be turning 6 and 8 this month and next month. I decided to go back to school a few years ago when I found Fort Hayes had an online college for education majors. I have this semester and in the fall I will be doing my students teaching. I am so excited to be this close after all these years! I am 30 years old, so this has been a long time in the making! I have wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember! After I graduate I plan to get a job as a teacher and then continue my education with a masters in Special Education. I love reading and love sharing it with others. Both of my daughters have also developed a love f reading which I think stems from them being read to since infancy. I am excited for this course and look forward to learning from you all!
ReplyDeleteBrooke W.
ReplyDeleteI met my husband while cheering at Wichita State. We lived in Wichita for a very long time before we moved to SW Kansas and last semester we moved to Pittsburg, KS. My family lives in NE Oklahoma and we drive through Baxter Springs to visit them, so I am familiar with your hometown! Also my husbands family still lives in Wichita! I used to work at a WONDERFUL gymanstics gym in Wichita if your girls are interested!
Introduction: Emily Keller
ReplyDeleteHi everyone. In only a short month, I will be turning 23, and not long after that my daughter will be turning 3. My boyfriend, daughter, and I live in Ellis, KS with our two crazy dogs (Chevy-Boxer and Cletus-Boston Terrier). Only 15 miles west of Hays, Ellis, has been my hometown all my life! It is a small town, and I absolutely love it. For as long as I can remember, my dream has been to become an elementary teacher within the Ellis school district. I only have this semester and a semester of student teaching left; I am so thrilled to be able to see a light at the end of my educational tunnel!! In my free time I normally play with my daughter, read, and scrapbook, but as part of my new year’s goals I am trying to work exercising and blogging into my routine as well.
As long as I can remember I’ve wanted to be an elementary educator, and my family has always seen me as a teacher because of my love for children. I don’t think I can choose just one of my teachers that have influenced me because so many of them have influenced me in so many ways! I see most of my teachers around town on several occasions and love chatting with them still. They were all really great and created this love for education that is within me.
Kim D, I would love to have that information! Add me to skype, brookeandkevinward
ReplyDeleteHello, my name is Hannah Barilla. I married my high school sweetheart in August of 2010. My husband just graduated from KSU and received a wonderful job offer so I am beginning this new semester in our brand new town of Hutchinson, KS! I grew up in Pratt, KS then attended Hutchinson Community College on a track and field scholarship and then attended FHSU virtual college. This is my last semester of classes before I begin my student teaching and I am very excited for what this year will hold. Also included in my family are my 4 lb. teacup Pomeranian named Jasmine and my playful guinea pig named Scarlett. My hobbies include scrapbooking, reading, going to the lake with my husband (water sports), and any other kind of sport. I am also a Zumba and aerobics instructor and enjoying trying new fitness classes.
ReplyDeleteI have grown up surrounded by educators and I have known since I was little that I wanted to follow in my family’s footsteps. My father is a high school principal, my mother teaches middle school language arts and literature, my older brother is a high school English teacher, both of my grandfathers were elementary school principals, and the list just continues. I consider myself very fortunate to have grown up with so many educators in my family because I have been able to witness the impact that educators have on students and the impact that students can have on educators. I would love to one day be able to change students’ lives just as I have seen done many times.
Kacey F…
ReplyDeleteThis is my last semester before student teaching as well! I am looking forward to being in the classroom all day starting in August. Is there a grade that you would prefer to student teach in? I have found that I really enjoy the younger grades. Surprisingly, I always have a blast when I substitute teach pre-K. But, I know I would be happy being in the classroom at any grade level.
Hello! My name is Becky Hammeke. I am 25 yrs old, married and have two wonderful children (Ethan 4, Beth 1). I am a stay-at-home mom and am finishing my degree online. Ethan started preschool this last year and loves it! I grew up on a farm 18 miles SW of WaKeeney and currently live in Hays. I have three brothers and one sister who are almost all married with children of their own. My hobbies include watching movies, reading, and being with friends/family.
ReplyDeleteI chose elementary education because I love working with children. Seeing a student’s face light up after understanding something difficult is such a great feeling! I have had several good and bad teachers and they greatly affected the way I plan to teach in my future classroom! I would love teaching K-2 grade because the students are so eager to learn and seem to have so much fun! After this semester and student teaching I will have completed my elementary education degree! I am very excited to get this semester underway and plan on having a great semester and learning more about how to teach my future students!
Hello familiar faces (or should I say names),
ReplyDeleteMy name is Tyler Gill and I am in my last semester of classes before student teaching. I have two previous degrees from the University of Kansas (sorry Jen), one in Accounting and one in Environmental Studies. After finishing school the first time I ran a credit union in Lawrence where I currently live. As I worked my way up the corporate ladder I found myself wanting something more and decided to return to school to pursue a degree in Elementary Ed.
I am originally from Topeka but have spent the last 15 or so years in Lawrence. The biggest influence in my decision to teach is my mom who has always told me that I would be a good teacher, I suppose I should have listened to her long ago. When I am not studying or working (two jobs) I enjoy biking, running, hiking, climbing, etc. and playing with my black lab, Jackson. I look forward to working with all of you over the course of the semester and wish you all good luck.
Tyler
Hannah B…I will also be student teaching next semester! It is so nice to know that I finally almost done with school and will soon be in my own classroom! I actually have relatives that live in Hutchinson! Is Zumba as incredibly fun looking as they make it seem on TV? I would LOVE to do that!! Have a great semester!
ReplyDeleteHi, my name is Kiley Allen and I live in Chanute, Kansas. My husband and I live on a farm with 2 dogs, Rio who is a rottweiler and Skeeter who is a maltese,and we raise cattle. We also own our own 24/hr fitness gym that keeps us very busy.
ReplyDeleteI was going to Kansas State University ( Woo hoo go cats!!) until July when I got married and I transferred to FHSU to finish my degree online. This is my last semester of classes then I will be doing my student teaching, which I am very excited about.
I have always enjoyed being around children and helping them. I can't think of a better way to spend my day than changing the lives of children. Teachers are very important people and can have such a big effect on children's lives. I plan on getting my masters degree in special education with an emphasis in autism.
Hello everyone, My name is Tara Mahoney and this is my 4th semester as an online student! This has been such a great experience for me and I am excited to say that if all goes as planned I will be graduating in Fall of 2011. I am a mother or 2 and a wife of an educator and coach. I have worked in the school system in Georgia for years living there for almost 6 years. My husband and I are both from Hays and we now live in the Olathe, Kansas area. We try to get back at least 3 times a year to visit family and hit Taco Shop and grab a snowball to drink. My children are very involved in athletics and between school, my husband coaching and my children running all over the KC metro area with activities it doesn’t leave me much time for hobbies. I do enjoy reading. I finished the Glass Castle over break and I highly recommend any educator should read it! I also love being outdoors! I love going on nature hikes and running trails. The biggest influence in my choice to become an educator has been my husband. I get to see everyday how much he enjoys his job and the children he teaches. Even when things are bad he is still eager to get back to the classroom and teach. I am anxious to get back into the classroom as well. Over the break I have really misses the classroom setting and I am anxious to get back to it!
ReplyDeleteIn respose to all!
ReplyDeleteIt seems like we are all on our last leg before completing our degree! Do any of you plan to walk next spring? It is so nice to see so many familiar faces...more like names, but whatever!
Hello everyone. My name is Christine DeHaven and I currently reside in Wichita, Kansas with my husband of 19.5 years, our two children ages 15 and 10 as well as our 2 year old Morkie.
ReplyDeleteI have several hobbies. My current hobby is playing with fused glass. This has actually been a lot of fun – but an expensive hobby. I have two kilns; a small jewelry sized kiln and a larger (well, not as large as I would like) kiln.
I received an undergraduate degree about 16 years ago from Kansas State University in Journalism and Mass Communications-Advertising. I am going back to school to receive a degree in Elementary Education with the hope of one day teaching in a 2nd - 6th grade classroom.
I always thought about becoming a teacher, but never pursued the idea until I started substitute teaching in the Wichita and Goddard school districts. I loved subbing and interacting with the children and listening to all their wacky and wonderful ideas. If all goes well I plan to do my student teaching in the fall and would love to teach 2nd-6th grade.
I recognize several names from last semester, it’s great to see everyone again and I hope that we all have an excellent semester.
Christine
PS --- Yikes, so far it looks like I'm the oldest student on the blog at the ripe age of 42.
In response to Brooke W....
ReplyDeleteI would love to know the people that you know from Pleasanton. It is not too often that I find anyone who knows where it is located. I have lived in Pleasanton my whole life and love the small town. My family are all still here including aunts/uncles and a couple of cousins. I love having family so close, we were all close growing up and my daughter has a close relationship with my cousins kids. I have a good friend that teaches in Baxter Springs and loves it.
In response to Tyler, it is ok that you are a KU grad, my husbands grandfather is also and he jokes with me that he has a "real" education. I am impressed with two degrees, two jobs, and then still a desire to go into teaching. I guess the old saying goes, we should listen to our parents.
ReplyDeleteHi, All! My name is Julie Lemon. I live in Wichita and work for the Andover School District as an elementary school building secretary. I have three wonderful children - ages 13, 12, and 10. We have an array of pets...our dog – a papillon named Ruby, a goldfish, and a bearded dragon. I'm originally from North Carolina, but have lived all over. I've been in Kansas for 3 years and truly enjoy it. After earning a BS degree many moons ago from UNC and a career as a retail buyer, I was a stay home mom for several years. I started substitute teaching, then worked as a para for the Andover Schools gifted program, which I loved. I realized I loved the connection with students, so with the encouragement of the teacher I worked with, began my journey to earn a teaching degree.
ReplyDeleteThis is my second school year as a building secretary - I work with many supportive teachers and an amazingly supportive principal who has been a great cheerleader for me during my Ft Hays experience. This will be my last semester of coursework before student teaching next Fall - yea!
Good luck to everyone this semester - Julie
In response to Christine D...no worries - I am 42 as well. 42 is the new 32!!! :-) Julie
ReplyDeletePS - Your fused glass hobby sounds amazing.
Good evening! My name is Trisha Wilkins and I live in a suburb just North of Dallas, TX - McKinney. This is my last semester of college and I am so excited to finally graduate in May. I will actually be making the trip to Hays to walk at graduation. I want my children to see the rewards for all of my long nights! My degree is in Elementary Education and I opted to not get certified through Fort Hays because my Kansas certificate would not have transferred down here in Texas. I am currently starting an alternative certification program down here in Texas so that I can teach next fall. I have decided to get certified in 4th-8th grade. I am so excited to be a teacher. I have been a stay at home mom for the past 9 1/2 years. I have loved being able to be with my children and feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to stay home with them. I have three children and have been married for almost 12 years. My son is in 4th grade, I have a daughter in 1st grade and a daughter who just turned 3 years old a few weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteI am not a stranger to Kansas. I grew up in Andover, KS which is just East of Wichita. I have also been surrounded by teachers - my grandparents, mom and dad, brother, sister and sister-in-law are all teachers. I guess you could say that it is in my blood. My grandma recently retired from Teacher Education at Wichita State University. She has been so helpful as I have been finishing my degree!
I am anxious to find a job in either 4 & 5th grade or middle school. I have really loved every grade! I plan on getting certified for elementary after I get certified for grades 4th - 8th. Because of the economy, it seems that even jobs in education are harder to find. I am hoping that my connections and volunteer experience help me land a few interviews this Spring! I am just starting to put my resume together and it is overwhelming because I have been a mommy for the past 9 1/2 years!
My children keep us very busy with sports and other activities. Me and my husband sing in our church choir and I stay busy running. I plan to run my 3rd half marathon at the end of March.
Good luck to you all!
Trisha Wilkins
In response to Kasey F.:
ReplyDeleteI see that you are from Greensburg. Were you affected by the tornado? I grew up in Andover, Kansas and a tornado ripped through my town in April of 1991. My house was out in the country so the tornado missed us by less than a mile but I did see it! Very scary!
Good luck this semester!
Trisha Wilkins - Texas
Trisha,
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you are going to be able to travel to Hays to participate in the graduation ceremony. I plan to go when I finish as well! It is such an accomplishment. I love to run, I ran cross country and track in high school. I would love to run a half-marathon, but it is too cold here in Kansas for me to get out right now!
Hello, I’m Alisha Goeckel and I’m Clifton, Kansas. My family consists of my husband and my soon to be one year old son. He will be turning one on Saturday and time goes by way to fast. I first went Cloud County Community College and then transferred to KSU and graduated with the degree of Family Life and Community Services. With that degree I worked at Pawnee Mental Health in Clay Center and worked there for three years. It was a very rewarding experience and with that experience I decided to go back to school. I worked with children that had different diagnosis such as ADHD, ADD, and Depression ECT. But the best part of my job was working with the students one-on-one with their goals that they had for themselves to improve their behavior in school where I was placed in the Therapeutic Learning Classroom in the middle school. The age ranges in this classroom were from 2nd grade to 8th grade right now. But I did work with high school students in the classroom. Then I also started to substitute and I love every minute of it. I love working with kids and enjoy being with my family and can’t wait to finish school and find a job!
ReplyDeleteHello, I am Kelly Freund. I live Emporia, Kansas. I grew up In Wichita, Kansas and moved to Emporia in July of 2003 to attend ESU where I graduated in 2006 with a B.S. in Recreation. After spending a little over a year trying to find a job in a smaller community and realizing that I would have to move to back to the city I decided to go back to school. On the side note, I had planned on moving out-of-state when I graduated, but I meet my husband during my last semester and decided to stick around and give him a chance. That turned out to be one of the best decisions!! At first I did not know what I wanted to go back to school for, but after talking with my family and my college professors I decided that Elementary Education would be the best. I have a passion for helping children. I have always enjoyed working with children.
ReplyDeleteI have been married for 2 years and have 2 beautiful and wonderful daughters. My oldest is 7 years old and the youngest in 10 months old. In August of 2010 my husband did a stepparent adoption and now is the legal father of my oldest daughter. I don’t have a lot of spare time. After spending time with 2 children, working on the farm, school work, helping at my daughters school, and all the things that come with family and a home there is not a lot of time left. I guess you can say in my spare time catch up with friends, most of which is by phone or facebook.
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ReplyDeleteHey everyone! I'm Shaina Gohl. I'm a f2f candidate and live in Hays. I'm originally from St. Francis, KS and I'm the only one in my family to attend a 4 year university however my sister is working towards her nursing degree in Colorado but not yet in the program. I'm not married nor do I have any kids but I have 2 nieces that I love very much. Cameron is 5 and lives in Denver, CO and Kierstyn was born on December 17,2010 and lives here in Hays with my brother so I get to spend a lot of time with her.
ReplyDeleteI originally attended Garden City Community College and majored in Criminal Justice but my boyfriend at the time who I'd been with for about 4 years convinced me to switch to teaching. I had always thought about teaching and now I'm glad I made the switch. I'm a senior this year but don't plan on graduating until May of 2012 because of the extra time I spent in criminal justice. I'm 21 so it sounds like one of the youngest in the class.
I have a lot of pets but they all currently live in Sainty with my mom due to my "no pet" apartment. I have a long haired kitten named Binx, a black cat named Spook, a Boston Terrier named Gomer,and another Boston Terrier named Rigley that I just gave to one of my high school classmates. I spend most of my time in class or at Village Inn trying to make money to pay for class. If I have free time I like to read and play my Wii. I look forward to a great semester!
Hello class. My name is Debbie Martin. I live in Glasco KS (population 550)… I have been married to my farmer / husband for 15 years as of Thanksgiving weekend. We have 3 beautiful children. Kaity is 19 and a sophomore at Cloud County Community College, but plans to head to K-State in the fall (GO CATS), Jacy is an 8th grader and Lane is a 5th grader. We have a wonderful indoor Tom-cat named Gizmo, and an outrageous outdoor ½ lab, ½ golden retriever puppy, named Buckshot, (Buck for short). We farm alfalfa, corn, soybeans, wheat, and milo along with having a cow – calf operation. My life is full of sports, cheerleading, 4-H, having a new grand niece that I love to babysit, and school.
ReplyDeleteAs for someone being the oldest in the class...I think I have you beat....I turn 45 May 22nd...(I never got to celebrate my birthday at school, it was either the last day, the day after, I graduated HS and Community College on it...) :(
Like most in this class, this is my last semester, as I also am doing my student teaching next fall. It is so wonderful to see so many familiar names in the BLOG. I substitute teach in my spare time, but not sure how much of that we will have this year with our internships and tutoring. I received my BA in Business Management but couldn’t find a job here in the north central area, so I began substitute teaching and found a love for working with children. My husband and I talked and decided I should go back to college once again (yep….instead of a full-time job, I am a full-time student) LOL.
My hobbies include reading books, going camping, riding bikes with my kids, and helping my kids with their 4-H projects.
Hello everyone! My name is Lacey Pool and I am a senior this year at Fort Hays. My freshman year, I was enrolled as a nursing major but decided that wasn’t for me; I really wanted to work with children but I didn’t think I was going to be able to handle seeing sick children in a hospital bed. My sophomore year spring semester, I decided to switch and do elementary education. I love it and it has been the best switch I have ever made! I will be student teaching next fall and will graduate in December.
ReplyDeleteI am originally from Lucas, KS and graduated for Lucas-Luray High School with 14 in my graduating class. My town and school were not very big but I loved every minute of it. I had the opportunity to have one-on-one time with my teachers quite a bit and I was able to be involved in many different activities.
I have a younger sister who was going to school here last fall but decided this semester that she was going to take a break and figure out what she really wanted to do. I have a younger brother who is a junior in high school and because our school was low on numbers they had to consolidate with another school this year. He is currently going through a big change but is getting along quite well. My mom and dad both work but are my support system; they have always been there for me through everything and I love them so much!
I can’t wait to have another semester with more kiddos and I am looking forward to getting to know everyone! Hope everyone has an incredible semester!
Hi everyone! My name is Holly Dreiling and I'm a senior this year and planning on student teaching this next fall. I'm from Hays and have lived here mainly my whole life, minus the year I spent attending Butler Community College on a vocal scholarship. I have two jobs, one on campus in Tiger Info and the other at Tiger Tan. My parents are both teachers so I've wanted to be a teacher ever since I can remember. I have one sister who is a sophomore in high school and two dogs who I treat like they're my children. I absolutely love my major and I love being out in the classroom every chance I get. I know this is going to be a great semester and I look forward to getting to know all of you.
ReplyDeleteHi. I'm Melinda Schremmer. I am from Phillipsburg, KS. I am a senior and will hopefully be student teaching in the fall. I am on the Fort Hays State University Women's Golf team. I also work at the Fort Hays Municipal Golf Course and the Graduate School on campus. I have one sister and one brother. My brother is married and works at the Coop in Seneca, KS. My sister is going to school at Cloud County Community College and is not sure what she wants to do. Both my parents were teachers so I say it was born in me. My mom retired last year after teaching for 34 years. She now is a extenstion agent for Kansas State University.
ReplyDeleteHello everyone! My name is Haley Crosier. I am 21 years old and from Liberal, KS. Liberal is about 5 miles north of the Oklahoma border. I have 3 sisters and 1 brother. I am the oldest child. My dad and step-mom live in Liberal and my mom lives in Hereford, TX. I am very family oriented. I transferred to FHSU from Seward County Community College. While at Seward, I played volleyball. My birthday is July 4th. When I was younger I thought all of the fireworks where in celebration of my birthday. I am a double major in Elementary Education and Political Science with a History minor. I hope to reform education with these two majors. That is my life goal. In my free time, I enjoy reading, watching and playing sports, watching movies, cooking, and hanging with my friends. After graduation I would like to move to Denver. I love big cities and mountains. :)
ReplyDeleteI chose the education field because I enjoy children and want to make a difference in the lives of others.
Hi, my name is Brandy Bussen and I am a senior at FHSU, majoring in elementary education. I will be student teaching next fall at Golden Plains in Selden, KS in 2nd grade. I graduated from Golden Plains in 2007 and my little brother and sister currently attend and that's why I'm going back to student teach. My hometown of Rexford, KS is ten miles away from Selden. The High school and Middle school are in Rexford and the grade school is in Selden. I have a very large family. There are 10 kids in all. I have 2 nieces, 2 nephews, and another niece that is supposed to be here in February. I love the color green, not lime green or dark green, but right in between. I love dogs and cats are ok. My parents have 3 dogs and 2 cats. Our dogs are Tripper (10), a lab, Cory(3), a pitbull, and Ginger(5), a pug; they are a very interesting combination. Our cats also have their own personalities and usually beat up on the dogs. I like to play any kind of sport, but my favorite is basketball. I like to fish, hunt, work on cars, play dress-up with my little sister, paint my nails, go shopping, and I love to read. I will read for hours, when I have time. Otherwise, in my free time I try to spend my time at home with my family. I also work a full time job here in Hays and I enjoy that as well, but I am ready to get my degree and begin teaching! Good luck to all!
ReplyDeleteHello! My name is Janel Durler. I am 21 (5/18/1989) and from Wright, Ks, an itty-bitty town just east of Dodge City. I have a very large family that I am extremely close with and I love spoiling my nieces and nephew. I grew up on our family farm in Wright and was very involved in church, school, sports, and 4-H. I love playing sports, and am on the FHSU Women’s Basketball team. I also like working outside with my dad and just being outside in general. I have always had an interest in teaching. I am always on the go and do not like to have a lot of down time, I get bored and tend to lose focus. My mom has done daycare my whole life, and works with her kids to prepare them for Kindergarten. I have also had teachers throughout my schooling that have influenced me. I decided that elementary education was the route I wanted to take when I took teaching classes and spent time in the classrooms in High School and Junior College. I hope to go back to SW Kansas to do my student teaching and hopefully get a job teaching and coaching. I will also have a minor in SPED when I graduate and am planning on getting an endorsement in ESOL.
ReplyDeleteHi Lori,
ReplyDeleteI think that we were in 4-H together when we were younger!
I am Shelby Hillman and I am from Cheney, Kansas. I have lived there for eighteen years, and I lived in Copeland, Kansas before we moved to Cheney. My father is an auctioneer, real estate agent and he also sells cattle equipment. My mother is the Cheney High School counselor. She came to Cheney High School when I was a senior. I have one brother and he sells knee and hip replacements. I love anything that deals with sports and the outdoors. I have been in a basketball gym every since I was able to walk. I have one dog and one horse, and they are both at my house in Cheney. I attended Barton County Community College my first two years of college. I played basketball both years that I was there and I received my Associates in Science. I transferred to Fort Hays in 2009 and I am currently on the Women’s Basketball team. My birthday is on April 28th. I was a teacher aide my senior year of high school and I loved it! I was in a second grade classroom and that is what inspired me to go into elementary education. The teacher whose classroom I was in was the one who really influenced me to go into elementary education.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Julie L:
ReplyDeleteI am familiar with the Andover area, and have heard great things about the district. My hometown is about forty five minutes west of there. If I do not get into Goddard to student teach, I hope to get into Andover. Good luck this semester!
My name is Kelsey Mead and I am originally from Falcon, Colorado which is about 10 miles east of Colorado Springs. I live in Hays with my boyfriend, Sloan, who I grew up with and have known since I was 12 years old. I am 20 years old and my birthday is on July 2nd. I am an only child (no, not a spoiled brat ) and Sloan and I have a kitten named Pudge, who is basically our child, and 8 fish. I enjoy watching football and baseball (Sloan is the catcher for the FHSU Baseball team), being outside, reading, cooking and traveling. I am student teaching in the fall and I can’t wait! I am also graduating in 3 ½ years which I am very proud of. This semester I am taking 19 credit hours and working 4 jobs, so needless to say, I am going to be VERY busy! I will start a Master’s Program in January 2012 in school counseling and then possibly get a doctorate degree afterwards. I have attended many colleges (University of Nevada Las Vegas, Garden City Community College, and Pikes Peak Community College). All of my experiences in the many diverse settings led me to Fort Hays State University where I came to realize that Elementary Education was the place for me. I absolutely love working with children and the Elementary Education program and instructors at Fort Hays have added to that love. I also have tons of family members who are or have been in the education system which has pushed my decision to go into Elementary Education. I split my time between online courses and on-campus courses so it is wonderful to meet a wide variety of classmates from all over the country! Good luck to all of you this semester!
ReplyDeleteIn response to Janel—It is so awesome to finally have a class together! It is always nice to know someone from Garden City Community College :) Growing up with your mom doing daycare, I’m sure, has given you countless experiences working with children. The more experience with children the better especially at this stage of the program. Good luck this semester. I look forward to working with you more throughout the year!
ReplyDeleteIn response to Lacey Pool—I loved reading your post! I can’t believe you only had 14 kids in your graduating class! That is crazy. I thought I was from a small town and we had 250 in my graduating class. I agree though that living in a small community can be wonderful. I agree with you that it would be hard to see sick children daily in a hospital bed. I don’t think I could ever be a nurse for that reason. I am also student teaching in the Fall, so we will be graduating at the same time. Good luck this semester!
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Royce Kmiec and I live in Farlington, Kansas. My husband and I will be married 16 years on February 4th. I have a daughter that is in 5th grade and a son in 3rd grade.
From the time I was 15 until I was 29 I owned and operated a giftshop/screenprinting business. In 2000 I sold out the business due to my mother’s illness and the birth of my daughter.
When I first attended college at Pittsburg State in 1989 I was a business major, but my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer one two months after her mother passed away with breast cancer. Needless to say, school was not a top priority in my life at that time. Then when my daughter started kindergarten, I volunteered as a helper at school. I loved it and some of the teachers suggested that I substitute as a para. I did that for the spring semester that year, and the following year I was hired permanently. I then decided to see what I would need to get my degree in education. Now five years later, after taking hours here and there,I am getting closer and will student teach in the fall. But first, I am going to turn 40 in July.
In my spare time I chauffeur the kids to piano, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, and Midweek church. On some occasions, I enjoy drawing, painting, listening to music, and reading.
Introduction
ReplyDeleteHi, my name is Janet Head and I currently live in Lyons, Kansas and work at an elementary school as a para. I have done this for the last six years. I have a husband and 3 children. They are 14, 10 and 8. This is my second degree. My first degree was in business administration. After working in the insurance industry for 13 years, I stayed at home with my children and later began working within the school. I found myself wanting more which led me to taking courses to get my elementary education degree.
In response to Kelsey M.
ReplyDeleteI am an only child, born in July, but twice your age. Two out of three isn't bad I guess. Good luck this semester.
Hello everyone! My name is Ashley Riley and I live in LaCrosse, Kansas. It is 25 miles south of Hays. I have lived here since I was in the sixth grade. My birthday is November 22 and on my last birthday I turned 27. I don't feel that old and it is hard to believe that in just a few years I will be 30. I am marriedand have four children who are in kindergarten, first, second, and third grades.Their names are Evan, Dustin, Calli, and Jacob. They are all unique in their own way and it makes live so much fun. My husband and I have known each other since we were five years old.
ReplyDeleteIn our free time (which isn't very often with four children) my husband and I like to go to the movies or just have a relaxing evening at home. Our children keep us busy and we love spending time with them as well. My job as a para educator at LaCrosse Middle/High School allows me to keep the same schedule as my children. During the summer we spend a lot of our time at the pool and the children are involved in t-ball, basketball and volleyball.
I am working on completeing my Bachelors degree in Elementary Education through FHSU. I hope to complete my student teaching in the fall of 2011. I love education in every aspect.
I hope everyone has a fantastic semester!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMy name is April Bashford. I am a 31 year old student. My birthday is Christmas day. I have a wonderful husband of 7 years Tim. We live in Norton Kansas and hour and a half from Hays. We met when I was living in San Diego and he was in the military. He dragged me back here. I have been okay with it but I miss city life. We have 3 wonderful busy but different boys. Andrew is our 12 year old 7th grader. He is busy in sports, 4-H and boy scouts. He involves himself in everythig possible. Clayton is our 5 year old. He has developmental delays and he has taught us so much even though I don't think he realizes it. He is special to us in a different way. He has had a very interesting yet hard rough life in his first 3 years. He is actually able to live life a little more normal. He was in and out of the hospital his first few years of life. I took some time off of school for that reason. The hardest thing to deal with is that he is not able to talk or walk and it is so hard sometimes. Then there is our 19 month old Riley. He thinks he is 10 or something. He is a very busy little boy. But he is just that all boy. He is our daredevil onery and busy boy. He is into eeverything even stuff that is not his of course. My husband is currently deployed with his National Guard unit. He just left the end of November so his tour just started. He is in Kuwait. We were told he will be gone for anywhere from 10 to 18 months. So I am going to school, which involves being in the classroom while I raise three boys on my own. My in laws live around here but they don't help much at all. I have wanted to be a teacher since I was 5 years of age. I will fulfill my dream even if it takes me forever. I am on the downhill now. So I see the light at the endo fo the tunnel. As for me, I love staying at home and staying with my boys. Clayton goes to half day preschool this year and then he upgrades to kindergarten net year. THat will be a change for everybody. So I enjoy spending quality mommy and me time with Riley by himself. I love to scrapbook, any type of crafts and read. You can currently find my nose into the Twilight series when I have time. I also like to write stories or poems or anything. I also love to play games with my children. I have made myself take on 16 credits this semester so I can finish my degree sooner. I am majoring in Elementarty Education as well as Early Childhood so I am dual majoring. I will eventually get my minor in special education as I claim all the credit to my middle child that he has inspired me to work with those type of students. I feel sometimes they hold a deeper part of your heart. We get to see a lot of my parents as they come to visit quite a bit from California. We spent a week with them at Christmas. The best thing we are looking forward to this year, is when my husband comes home the end of July for his 2 week R & R we are going to Florida to spend a week or so at Disneyworld. We can't wait.
ReplyDeleteWell everyone, I can end the debate on who is the oldest! I am 49 and will celebrate the "half century" mark this August!!! Makes you feel pretty young, doesn't it! I've really enjoyed reading your blogs. What exciting, busy lives you lead!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Sara Childs, and although I’m originally from Cedarburg, Wisconsin (Go Packers!) I now live in Hutchinson, KS with my husband of 10 years, our 5-year-old son, two dogs, and one fat cat.
ReplyDeleteAt the completion of 8th grade, I was given the distinction “Future Teacher” (which is better than “class clown”!) However, I have a bit of a stubborn streak, and I wasn’t willing to let others tell me what to do. After high school I joined the US Army, spending four years in places such as upstate New York, South Carolina, and Georgia, before being sent for a year to South Korea. There I met my wonderful husband, who was also in his last year of active duty. He’s from Kansas, and not a big fan of Wisconsin winters, so we’ve settled here. We both joined the Kansas Army National Guard and were both deployed as airport security after 9/11, and 6 months in Bosnia. We had our son, and Rob has been on two deployments since: one to Kosovo, and just recently to Afghanistan.
With the help of the GI Bill and extra income from the deployments, I have now been able to finish school. For the past few years I’ve worked as a paraeducator in both middle and high schools, and then as a substitute teacher. I guess those middle school teachers way back when were right after all. I’m destined to be a teacher! I am now a senior at FHSU, and should be completing my student teaching this fall.
In my downtime, I’m PTO president at my son’s school, I love to read and sew, and I’m a bit of a Mac computer geek. Oh, and if you live in the Wichita area, you might catch a glimpse of me on the Fort Hays virtual college commercials (in a non-speaking role, thank goodness!).
(Oh, I'm 37, so I guess I'm not the oldest...)
Ok, I guess I should add that one dog is a mutt/German Shepherd variety named Ozzy, the other is a mutt/terrier/chihuahua variety named Lola. The cat, well, she is called just about anything :)
ReplyDeleteJen Hittle: my husband has tried taking me pheasant hunting. Since I didn't have my hunting license yet, I was the hunting dog. But the hilarious "whooping" noises I made every time a pheasant startled me caused him to miss every time.
Hannah B: I live in Hutch! We might have to get together for coffee and study time! What school are you interning in this semester? I'm over at Faris, where my son is in Kindergarten.
Haley: my husband's birthday is the 4th of July as well, and he felt the same way about fireworks growing up
April B: if you need anything while your hubby is deployed, let me know. I used to be the FRG leader of my husband's unit
Hello to all of those whose names I recognize from last semester!
In response to Holly Dreiling, I think that it is great that you are following in your parents’ footsteps!! To have people who are so important to you inspire you to do something as great as becoming an educator would be very special. That is great that you are so close to student teaching, I am in the same boat. I am really looking forward to student teaching in the fall! I hope you have a great semester, good luck!!
ReplyDeleteHello everyone! I am a little late getting to this, as my internet has been having fits for several days. I think I have it under control now thanks to my provider’s tech-support guy! So, I live in Plainville, KS and am finally in my last year of school. I will student teach this fall and can hardly wait. I had a great internship mentor last semester and am still amazed at what I learned from him. I am a full-time student and a full time maid, cook, horse chore person, and pick-up constantly-after-my-boyfriend servant! He has gotten a little better lately My request from Santa this Christmas was to have him show the bf how to put his clothes in the laundry basket instead of in a string across the floor, close a cabinet and/or any drawers he opens, and to learn to use the back door when he’s muddy instead of traipse across my clean carpet. Not too much to ask for a good girl…right? Today he managed to take his boots off at the back door, but I found him asleep on my couch still in his muddy cow poo splattered chinks. When he saw me hovering with a scowl his only response was…”But look honey…my boots are off….I love you…. (nervous smiling).” I suppose I will settle for a little progress instead of none. So I live with him, three dogs, seven horses, and the often 100 + head of bawling weaning calves we occasionally take in. The horses are ranch and rodeo horses and we have some really nice ones at that! I’m extremely proud of a few of them (particularly mine).
ReplyDeleteMy parents live in Belleville, KS and have a small 800 head feed yard. I spent most of Christmas break helping out there since my step-dad had a heart-attack and spent nine days in ICU. My sister lives in Belleville also and is a stinking little Einstein. Anytime I need ANYTHING answered, I call her. No one knows why she’s so smart or where it came from. Mom insists the stork messed up. My inspiration for becoming a teacher comes from my mom’s sister my aunt Tara. She teaches in Garden City, KS and is the most creative, witty, funny and thorough person I know. She is also extremely smart and my grandma swears the stork messed up there too. I hope if I have my own children someday I get delivered the right baby! Anyway, my aunt has always loved teaching and I enjoy listening to her stories of struggle and triumph with her students. She is who inspired me to go into teaching and has proved an irreplaceable resource throughout my education. I am thrilled to be so close to graduation and I hope I can find a job when I’m ready! I hope everyone has a great semester.
In response to Hannah---
ReplyDeleteWas your maiden name McPherson? I lived in Pratt for a couple of years and I am pretty sure I know who you are--what a small world. I was a para at Skyline for a year and I think we went to church at First Southern Baptist Church together. Well if this is not you, I am sorry your story sounds exactly like the Hannah I am thinking of. Hope your semester is great for you.
In response to Jen H:
ReplyDeleteAfter this semester I will do my student teaching and then I am done. It has been a long 4 years but will be worth it in the long run!
Hello everyone!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Larissa Whitney and I am from Concordia, Kansas. Currently I live in Hays where I attend FHSU as a full time student. Like most of you, this is my final semester before student teaching in the fall. I graduated high school in 2008 at Concordia and attended Cloud County Community College for 1 year.
I decided I wanted to be a teacher when I was about 5 years old. My mom took a picture that I can recall where I had all my stuffed animals around me and I read them a Where’s Waldo book. She knew I would become a teacher because (I’m kinda bossy at times)! Ha! I have enjoyed all the classes leading up to this semester and I am eager to start the internship for this class. It’s always fun getting into the classroom and meeting the students.
Hi my name is Janna Colson. I am a Senior at FHSU and I’m doing my student teaching next fall. I plan on student teaching back in my hometown of Hoxie, KS. I have a pretty wide range of hobbies. I love to read, crochet, cross-stitch, scrapbook, walking, taekwondo, ect. I have 3 siblings. I have an older sister, a twin sister (fraternal), and a little brother. I chose the field of elementary education because I have always loved school. When I was little I hated it when school would get out for the summer. As soon as school was done, I would want to play school with my sisters. If they didn’t want to then I would play school by myself. I was also jealous of my sisters when they had to go to summer school and I couldn’t because I didn’t need to. I have always wanted to be a teacher, but I really wanted to be a teacher after I had Mrs. Robben for the 4th grade. She made me absolutely love school and want to be a teacher when I grew up. I cannot wait to get out into the school system and be a teacher. I hope to be as good as Mrs. Robben and have the students love me like they love my Aunt Linda who has been teaching way before I was even born.
ReplyDeleteKelsey M--
ReplyDeleteI love it when I have people from GCCC in my classes :)! Sounds like you have one heck of a semester ahead of you! Let me know if you need any help!
Julie L.,
ReplyDeleteHey, I noticed that you are in Wichita too. I remember your name from Reading Methods -- I wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed your Tompkins presentation, you did an awesome job!
Great to have you in another class and you're right, 42 is the new 32! :)
Christine
My name is Lauren Roush and this is my second year doing on line classes. I live in the country with my husband, my three dogs, and my two horses. I currently work as a waitress a few nights a week to bring in a little extra money. Last semester I worked full time as a Para in a preschool and part time as a waitress and did school full time and found that is was way too much to handle so I have stopped working at the school so I can focus on my classes. In five years I see myself with children and being a stay at home mom and potentially homeschooling my children. My husband and I feel that it will be in our families best interest for me to stay home when we have children and be a stay at home mom, we have also decided that if I am staying at home that I should also home school our children while that are in the elementary school grades. I want to be a teacher because I love children and I want to make a different in their lives. My goals as a teacher would be to work in a Christian school in the younger grades. My husband and I love the lake and the outdoors and I would love to teach at a Christian camp in the summertime. Another thing that has made a big impact on me and my choice for education is when I volunteered at a Therapeutic Horse back riding school. I love horses and working with the students was a very motivating experience.
ReplyDeleteI have had a lot of meaningful teachers in my past and the one that is coming to mind right now is my second grade teacher Mrs. Brown. She was a very loving teacher, I can remember how she made everything we learned fun. Just this morning I was thing about one of the activities we did when we were learning about fossils and how they were dug up by paleontologists. She had us dissect a chocolate chip cookie with little tools and then we counted how many chocolate chips we dug up. She made learning fun and I want to do the same thing for my future students.
Lauren, I love the idea of 'dissecting' a chocolate chip cookie! That is such a great idea. I never would have thought of it. My favorite teacher was my fifth grade teacher. She always made learning fun and really cared about her students. I work at a Christian camp during the summers with my mom. They have the camp for about a week and the children really seem to enjoy it. It is great practice for classroom management, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to you!
Julie L. and Shelby H.:
ReplyDeleteI am from Andover and was just up there last weekend to visit my parents. I graduated from Andover High School and both of my parents teach in the school district. What a small world! My mom teaches middle school science at Andover Central Middle School and my dad is a science teacher at Andover Central High School!
Hello Everyone! My name is Alexandra Westfall, but all my friends and family call me Alex. I am 23 years old and currently live in Petersburg, WV. I say currently because I just found out three days ago that I’m moving to Elkins, WV (a town about an hour and a half away). So this summer semester and even the fall, when I’m doing my student teaching is going to be very busy with moving. I am also getting married Sept. 24 this fall to a wonderful man named Richie. We have one son, Owen together, along with a big dog named Leeroy (half St. Bernard, half black lab), two cats, (Benji and Black Cat) and 6 chickens. In my spare time (which I do not have very often), I like to cook, travel, watch movies, and make everything I will need for my wedding.
ReplyDeleteThis may sound corny, but I’m in Elementary education because it’s what I’ve always wanted to do/ felt like I should do. I fought it for a while (because of advice from teachers from my high school) but I just couldn’t stay away. Ever since I switched my major over to education, I have loved every second of it. It has already been very rewarding and I know that will continue to prove to be true. There were two teachers who really inspired me: my fourth and fifth grade teacher (same person; she moved up during the summer in between) and a high school teacher I had named Mr. Oldaker. They were both motivating, pushed you to do well and really were concerned about their students.
@ Lauren S.
ReplyDeleteHow amazing! Your experience at the therapeutic horseback riding school sounds insane (in a good way haha)! I bet that was such an awesome way to experience teaching students. I am currently a stay at home mom, so I know personally how rewarding that "job" is. I think you have a very lovely life plan set out!
Hi my name is Courtney Kroeger I am 21 and I am originally from Marysville, Kansas. This is my first summer living in Hays and this coming fall I will be a senior. I am majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in Special Ed. Right now I work as a waitress and I like to spend a lot of time with friends and family. I have played college volleyball for three years, but I won’t be playing this next year. I went into Elementary Education because I love kids and I had several teachers who inspired me to be a great teacher. I can’t wait to have my own classroom!
ReplyDeleteHey everyone! My name is Chelsey Skipton. I am originally from Garden City Kansas but I have lived in hays two years now. I have one more semester at FHSU and I am not sure where I want to do my student teaching yet. I was thinking Wichita KS but we will see! I am currently in my home town for the summer just babysitting and taking two classes. I enjoy reading and running in my spare time and I love hanging out with my family. Our cat just had 5 kittens so we have six cats now and one dog. It took me awhile to decide what I wanted to get a degree in but I found that being are kids made me the most happiest. I look forward to a great semester!
ReplyDeleteIntroduction
ReplyDeleteHello, classmates! My name is Meredith Ramsey. I live in Great Bend, KS. This is my last year at Fort Hays. I am graduating in May! I am counting down the days. I have three pets that I consider to be my children. I have a dog, Alfie, and two cats, Kiki and Theo. They are the cutest! :) When I have the time, I love to read. I finished a book in two days this summer. Also, when the heat is not stifling, I like to lay outside. I have always wanted to obtain a degree in Elementary Education. I love children because of their innocence, honesty, and creativity. I cannot wait to have my own classroom!
My name is Melissa Baird. I am from Brewster, KS. Most people don't know where that is, but it is half way between Colby and Goodland. It's exit #36 on Interstate 70. I am 21 years old and a senior at FHSU. I have an older sister who is getting married in January, and a younger brother who is a junior at Brewster School. My dad passed away when I was 14. He was a farmer and mechanic. My mom is a teacher at Brewster USD #314. I attended Brewster School from Preschool through my senior year. The crazy thing about this is that PK-12 is all in one building. It is a 1A school. After graduating from Brewster I attended Colby Community College and obtained my Associate Degree. I then transferred to FHSU. I am starting my second year here in Hays, but I do not like it. The town is too big for me I really like the small town atmosphere. I will be student teaching in the spring and plan to teach in a northwest Kansas school. I spend my weekends in Goodland, KS. My boyfriend graduated in May with his Degree in Diesel Technology at the age of 19. He is currently employed with a local truck repair shop. In September we will have been dating for three years. My hobbies include farming, raising goats, and racing. I do not currently have a race car but my boyfriend has an IMCA hobby stock. I’ve always been sort of a tom boy and my weekends are either spent racing, or working on cars usually. I love working on motors and cars. My birthday is in February. I chose the field of Elementary Education because I love working with children. I was in 4-H for 12 years and I really enjoyed the leadership responsibilities as I grew older. I love having the possibility to impact a child’s life by giving them the gift of education. Most people assume that my mom was the influence for me to go into education, but I think the first reason I chose education is because I want to work with children, and this is the best job to make a positive impact in their lives. When I graduate I will return to northwest Kansas and seek a job in the area surround my hometown. I also plan to get married sometime in the near future.
ReplyDeleteHello Everyone!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Angie Ryan. I am embarking on a new journey as a single mother of 3 wonderful children. My daughter, Brielle, is starting high school this year and has made the cheer squad, my 2 boys, Noah and Luke, will be in 4th and 1st grade and both play football…needless to say this should be a VERY busy and interesting semester.
I live in Parsons, KS which is way down in the southeast corner of the state. I work as a para educator and have done so for 6 years now. I absolutely love my “job” (I do not like to call what I love doing so much a job!) and cannot imagine doing anything else, well besides actually being a teacher!
I am a non-traditional student who embarked on this long journey to becoming a teacher 3 years ago, it has been a long and rough road but I am sure that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now.
I have always loved working with children and when I began working as a para in the classroom I realized I needed to do even more, so I decided to go back to school and become a teacher. I have wonderful colleagues that have helped me every step of the way; I could never have done it without their help.
I pray everyone has an amazing semester!
Angie Ryan
Greetings classmates! I am Andrea Rackaway from beautiful Hays, Kansas. I am a senior majoring in TEAM Elementary Education. This is my second degree as I graduated from FHSU in 2005 with a degree in Communication Studies (emphasis theatre). I have a gorgeous husband named Chapman who is a professor of Political Science at FHSU. We have a beautiful 12-year-old daughter named Maddie. And together we are adopting a sweet toddler boy from Ethiopia, Africa - - After two years, we are finally at the top of the waiting list and the next toddler boy that comes up will be ours. So I'm confident I'll be able to share that good news with the class this semester.
ReplyDeleteMy hobbies include my kids, theatre and surprisingly NASCAR.
I am so excited to be in my final on campus semester at FHSU and look forward to graduation (and employment!!!) in the spring.
Hello class! My name is Jennifer Warner and I’m a senior working towards my Elementary Education degree with a minor in special education. When coming to Fort Hays I thought music would be my life but have found a home here in the education department and I couldn’t be happier.
ReplyDeleteI’m from a very small town in eastern Kansas called Eskridge. I’m very close to my family and miss them all the time. My family is very large, blended, and diverse and that is something that I’ve come to appreciate even more the older I get. Outside of school, I work two jobs and I’m very involved in the music department here on campus.
I have chosen elementary education because I feel like that is what I’m wired to do. I know it sounds very mushy, but that is what brings me the most joy to me. I love the look on student’s faces when you have helped them to grasp that piece of information they were struggling to find. I’m sure many of you feel the same way, or you wouldn’t be in this profession.
I’m looking forward to a very exciting and challenging semester!
Hello classmates! My name is Kristi Geschwentner, and I live in McCook, Nebraska. I’m a single mom with 2 daughters, ages 21 and 18. My older daughter is an Art K-12 student-teacher this fall, graduating from the University of Nebraska at Kearney this December; my younger daughter is a freshman at Garden City Community College, running cross country and track and beginning her studies in Early Childhood Education. I am an Elementary Education major, minoring in Special Education. I’m happy to be embarking on my final year of classes before student-teaching next fall and graduating in December, 2012!
ReplyDeleteI went to elementary school here in McCook, Nebraska, and graduated from junior high and high school in Oberlin, Kansas. I then completed an associate’s degree in secretarial science/business at Colby Community College in 1987. I have a very diverse work background, ranging from working as a paralegal and a court clerk to owning/operating a day care center, coaching youth softball and junior high cheerleading, and working as a paraprofessional with special needs children.
I’ve always felt drawn to teaching, and although it’s taken me a long time to get there, I am finally getting close to realizing that dream! I was inspired to teach by my aunt who was a wonderful elementary teacher, as well as by the many various teachers throughout my own educational experience who made learning fun and exciting and simply let me know they cared about me as an individual. I chose Elementary Education because I believe that it’s important to help children develop a love and excitement for learning at a young age. Positive early experiences set the stage for a continuing positive attitude toward school and learning. I want to be a teacher who teaches children to WANT to learn. I chose to earn a minor in Special Education because I believe that all children are capable of learning and deserve opportunities to reach their full potential.
I look forward to getting to know all of you this semester; best of luck to everyone!
Hi my name is Allison Groff and I am a Senior at FHSU. I am majoring in Elementary Education and working towards my minor in Special Education. I plan on getting my middle school math certificate and teaching in that area in the future if at all possible. I will be student teaching in the Spring of 2012 and can’t wait! I am 21 years old and have lived in Hays since the day I was born. The only exception is the Fall semester of 2009 which I spent doing the National Student Exchange program in New York City, NY. That was a great experience and gave me the opportunity to experience different cultures. I have one older brother who graduated from Fort Hays last spring and now works as an accountant, and a younger sister who is a sophomore at Fort Hays. I’ m ready to continue my learning and someday soon have a classroom of my own!
ReplyDeleteHello, Everyone!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Amanda Drury, and I live in Atchison, Kansas, birthplace of Amelia Earhart (that is our claim to fame!). My husband Jason and I have been married almost 16 years and have three fun, beautiful, bright children, Caroline (16), Cameron (13 on Thursday), and Caitlin (10). My husband and all three children are very musical and play/sing in five bands between them, along with participating in soccer, art club, church activities, piano and guitar lessons. Between work, school and keeping up with the kids' schedules, I try to sneak in long walks, baking and reading during my "free" time.
I am very pleased to say that this is my final semester before student teaching in the spring. I will be graduating in May with my elementary education degree with a minor in special education. I hope to teach in our local public elementary school beginning next fall.
I have wanted to teach since I was a child, but the twists and turns of life will have me reaching my goal and beginning this new career at age 37. My renewed interest in teaching came through volunteer work with my youngest daughter's first grade class. She had an amazing teacher that year, a 35 year veteran of the profession who not only welcomed my presence in the classroom, but also encouraged me to take my passion for tutoring the children to the next level and complete my degree. I applied and enrolled at FHSU the following fall, and four years later I will be following in her footsteps and becoming a professional educator as well.
I am honored to have the privilege of completing my degree at this stage of my life, and to have the opportunity to have a positive impact on future generations through teaching. I am eager to begin!
Hello--My name is Kathy Wilson and I grew up in Lakin, KS. I am still working on my degree because of the time off for having kids and working. I am 32 years old and am married to a wonderful man and have two boys ages 8 and 6. I have this semester and then in January of 2012 I will start my student teaching. I am very excited and nervous as well about going into the teaching profession. I love to fish, hunt, bake, and spend time with my family. My family and I currently live in Leoti, KS and have been here for 12 years. It's a small town but I like the small town for raising kids. I hope to make it through this semester without too much stress but that is like taking candy from a baby. Enjoy the class and I hope to get to know some of you throughout the class.
ReplyDeleteHello!! My name is Shanna and I currently live in Olathe, Kansas. I am originally from Denver, Co, but moved to Springfield, Mo to go to MSU. After graduating with a Sociology degree I met my husband then moved to Kansas City. We have lived here for the past 9 years and enjoy it, but would love to eventually end up somewhere in the Northwest.
ReplyDeleteThis is my second year at Fort Hays. I am majoring in Elementary Education with a SPED minor. I have really enjoyed the virtual college experience. For the past year I have been working in the Olathe school district as an Autism Instructional Assistant and love my job. I get the opportunity to work with students of all ages. I currently work in an Autism classroom in an Elementary school and in a life skills classroom with a 15 year old student with Autism. This job can be very challenging at times but it is also very rewarding and I look forward to seeing my students make progress.
Previously I worked as a Children’s Case Manager for a Community Mental Health Center. While working at that job I was able to spend a lot of time in the school setting and realized I really enjoyed it. I had thought about teaching as a profession while in college the first time around but chose a different path at that time. I finally realized that I had a passion to teach and began this pursuit last fall.
I have been married for almost 9 years to a wonderful man. We have not been fortunate to have any children (at least not yet), but we do have 2 dogs and 2 cats that keep us very busy and entertained. I enjoy taking my dogs for walks, being outdoors, photography, roller derby and crafts. I have begun to learn how to quilt, and have taught myself to knit. I have many uncompleted projects lying around the house that I hope to complete one of these days.
Hi everyone! My name is Deidre Jones and I am a senior this year at FHSU, majoring in elementary education with a minor in special ed and English. I am still unsure of the English minor, but all my teachers have said I am very good at writing and I should consider getting the minor so I'm just going with it.
ReplyDeleteI have lived in Plainville all my life and drive to and from Hays every day. I find the drive relaxing and short "me time" that I spend reflecting on everything about the day to come and the day that has ended.
I have a twin brother whose name is Derek. We are very much alike, but also very different. I have two dogs, Oreo and Noodles. I love them to death. They are so big and strong that they take me for walks instead of me taking them! I also have a few kittens. Popsi is the oldest. She just had a litter of five: Amp, Vin, Harper, Skamp, and Louie. I also have three "middle aged" kittens: Texas, Maxximus, and Georgia. Their sister, Cheddar, passed away a month or two ago. I love talking about my animals and showing pictures of them.
I have always wanted to be a teacher. From kindergarten and on I thought it was the best job; writing on a chalk board, decorating bulletin boards, stamping and putting stickers on papers, and reading to children. As I have progressed through the years, I have learned not everything is like kindergarten, but it still hasn't changed my mind.
I am really excited about this semester! I know it will be a busy one, but I am up for the challenge! Good luck everyone!
Reply to Melissa Baird: I went to school with a boy who lived in Brewster. His name is Heath. He moved to Plainville when he was in the second grade. You might know him?
ReplyDeleteIntroduction--
ReplyDeleteHello everyone! My name is Laura Umbarger. I am 23 years old and live in my hometown of Phillipsburg KS. I have been married for a little over 2 years to my husband Dustin Umbarger. He also attends Fort Hays and works at TAMKO Building Products as an industrial tech. We have one daughter who just turned a year old beginning of August. Her name is Hannah. I live and grew up in Phillipsbug. After high school I attended Kansas State University for two years and moved back home when my dad was diagnosed with cancer. I took some time off and now have been attending Fort Hays for 3 years. I am currently a senior and in my last year!!! I will student teach in the spring. I have always loved school and teachers and love children! I got my inspiration from former teachers and just the love of children. I work as a substitute here in Phillipsburg and this is my second year doing it. I love substituting and feel it is a great experience before becoming a teacher. I can't wait for this semester and to finish up and start teaching!
Hello everyone! My name is Haley Crosier. I am 22 years old and from Liberal, KS. Liberal is about 5 miles north of the Oklahoma border. I have 3 sisters and 1 brother. I am the oldest child. My dad and step-mom live in Liberal and my mom and step-dad lives in Amarillo, TX. I am very family oriented. I transferred to FHSU from Seward County Community College. While at Seward, I played volleyball. My birthday is July 4th. When I was younger I thought all of the fireworks where in celebration of my birthday. I am a double major in Elementary Education and Political Science with a History minor and Leadership Certificate. I hope to reform education with these two majors. That is my life goal. In my free time, I enjoy reading, watching and playing sports, watching movies, cooking, and hanging with my friends. After graduation I would like to move to Denver. I love big cities and mountains. :)
ReplyDeleteI chose the education field because I enjoy children and want to make a difference in the lives of others.
In response to Shanna S. -- I am moving to Denver in December to begin student teaching. I will be living in Aurora. What part of Denver did you live in?
ReplyDeleteHi everyone!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Ashley Luethmers and I currently reside in Topeka, KS with my husband and almost two year old son. We just moved from Wichita and are still trying to adjust to everything. I grew up in Topeka, so this is home to me and am excited to be close to family once again!
I graduated from Washburn University in 2007 of which I received a degree in Art, emphasis in Graphic Design. I worked full time when I was in Wichita, but now get the chance to be a stay-at-home mommy with my son (well at least until I student teach and begin working as a teacher). I decided to go back to school 2 years ago to teach children when my son was born.
This is my last semester before I student teach and am really looking forward to this class as well as my other classes and getting the semester underway. Good luck to everyone!
I though I posted my Introduction earlier this week, but I can’t find it...so here goes again!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Matthew Peak, I’m 38 years old and I’ve been married 18 years and have three great sons! Michael is 11 years old and in 7th grade, Mason is 9 years old in 4th grade, and Marcus is 5 years old and just starting Kindergarten. My wife graduated from PSU 12 years ago and is currently teaching pre-school for the local school district. After I graduated from high school in 1991 I went to college for two years to get basic business / computer / accounting knowledge and then I started my own business. When the economy went south I decided to return to college and do what I’ve always enjoyed doing...teaching! Over the past 20 years I’ve taught dozens of Sunday School classes and children’s church lessons, we’ve raised three sons and made a positive impact on hundreds of kids.
I can’t wait to graduate next May, and get a job in 1st grade (I’ve got my fingers crossed!)
Hi!! My name is Amanda Jones and I am from a town just north of Tulsa, OK named Skiatook. I now live in Midland, TX. I am a Sr (finally) at FHSU and will be doing my student teaching in the Spring (if I make it through this class!! HA!) I have loved being a part of FHSU and can't wait to be a teacher. :)
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI'm Megan Booth a Senior at FHSU. This is my last semester of classes as I will begin to student teach next fall. I enjoy hanging out with my friends and playing intermural sports on capus. I trasfered here from Pratt Community College my jr. year and I love it. I have made mant friends throughout the program.
To Allison G:
ReplyDeleteSounds like your are almost done with the program. Good luck with the future of middle school you'll be great!
Hello all! I posted this in the other blog that was linked to the start from here folder but then I found this one so I'm just going to repost my intro. My name is Shannon (Haug) York. I’ve been married to my high school sweet heart for six months now and we’ve started our newlywed lives up in Delta Junction, Alaska! I am a born and raised small town Kansas girl but moved up here to Alaska almost two years ago. It has been a very rewarding yet hard experience. Being far from family is not my favorite thing, nor are the long dark winters, but the beautiful summers and adventures to be found make it worth it. I also have troubles with the time change. Alaska is three hours behind Kansas so I constantly have to remind myself of that for schoolwork and such. Right now it is the dead of winter up here. Today it was a whopping forty below zero and we have about five hours of daylight. Since I can’t get out much I spend a lot of time indoors exercising, doing schoolwork, and taking care of my two dogs and two ferrets. When I can get out I really enjoy photographing this beautiful place. I also work as a substitute teacher and part time tutor. I’m hoping my tutoring experience will help me succeed in this course.
ReplyDeleteThis is my last semester of full classes at FHSU. I will begin student teaching in the fall and graduate that December! Finally! I’m so excited to start teaching here in Alaska. I’ve always had a passion for helping children and I finally got to utilize that passion last semester through my internships. There is no better feeling than making a difference in a young child’s life. I’ve had many great educators in my life and I believe they are who influenced me to want to become a professional educator. I’ll never forget the feeling I felt when a teacher took specific time out of their busy schedule to help me understand a concept, to help me see things differently, and to simply teach me. I want my life to consist of helping children succeed. I want to make a difference in children’s lives one way or another. I think that being an elementary educator means providing all students with a meaningful learning experience. To me that includes teaching them the curriculum in a clear understandable way as well as providing them with the tools and building blocks they need to succeed and thrive in their future. Even if they’re only six or seven year olds their lives can be greatly impacted and changed by one year with an elementary educator.
I’m excited to get this semester rolling and I’m looking forward to collaborating and working with all of you! Good luck!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Lindsay Sabala and I currently live in Topeka, KS with my husband and two very spoiled dogs. This is my last full semester before student teaching (although I will be taking a class this summer) and I am very excited for what the future holds. We have lived in Topeka for a little over a year, but growing up my father was in the military and I lived in four different states and two foreign countries. For the foreseeable future though, Kansas will be our home. It was while still in high school that I began thinking about teaching as a future career and after working in an elementary school for two years as a paraeducator my decision was made. Since making a definite decision to become a teacher, my love for the profession has only grown. I very much enjoyed my internship last semester and look forward what this semester will bring as well. I hope everyone has a great semester!