Kalie Rickard

Journal Reflection #1
Part One: #1 & #2
Prompt: Think about and describe significant events, characteristics, aspects and lessons of
your personal history and entry into teaching.
1.
A. Family/home:
I grew up in a very supportive home, in which all of my family members were,
and still are, very close. My parents are still married and I have a younger brother and sister.
Growing up, I watched both my parents work extremely diligently and faithfully to give us the
best life they possibly could. My mom worked for the first few years of my life outside of the
house, but became a stay at home mom who volunteered for everything she possibly could. My
dad worked (and continues to work) long hours as a manager for a company to support our
household. Ive always admired my dads dedication and motivation to his work (and really
everything in his life)my parents always tell us: you wont get anything in life thats worth
having unless you put your heart and soul into it. I dont think things should just be given in
life. Hard work is essential, and thats something Ive learned from growing up in my household.
B. Neighborhood(s) growing up:
Just after I was born (in Grand Haven, MI), my parents and I moved to Colorado
for my dads job. We were out there for about 2 years, so I dont recall much of that time in
my life (since I was so young). When we came back, we lived in one neighborhood until I was in
8th grade. It was a traditional neighborhood, with moderate size houses and acreage. The
families were middle to upper class and there were many children my age, so there was always
something to do. We all lived moderate/average lives, and were all pretty content in our lives.
Our parents had block parties and went to progressive dinnersstuff that just seemed normal.
When I was in 8th grade, we moved one street North so that we could have more property
(something my parents had always wanted), to a long street with only 10 houses on it. This was a
major shift, but didnt affect me much since I was at an age where I already had made friends
and still lived fairly close to them.
C. Friends and others in your life:
Growing up I had one main best friend, as well as friends in my neighborhood.
This one particular best friend and I were inseparable until freshman year of high school when
we took very different paths. I was the goody-two shoes who was afraid of doing anything
wrong, whereas she decided to rebel and challenge the direction of her parents. This was very
unnerving and worrisome for me, because I was essentially entering high school without my
support system. I was a shy person to begin with, so making friends had never been my strong
point, but I eventually made some new friends who continue to have a large influence on my life.
Though I usually rely on my friends and go to them for life situations more, this semester has

been so busy and crazy overwhelming that I simply dont have the time that I used to have. So
now its just nice if Im able to see them every once in a while to catch up.
D. K-8 schooling experience:
I went to public schools for both elementary (K-5) and middle school (6-8) and
didnt have many pressing issues. During elementary school, I had some phenomenal teachers,
with whom I still keep in touch to this day. They went above and beyond the call of duty to make
sure we got what we needed to be successful and felt comfortable in the classroom. There was
one teacher in 4th grade, though, who really had a profound negative impact on my outlook of
education. She was my math teacher, and she would do everything she could to make me feel
inadequate and worthless, including calling me stupid. It was because of her that I had such an
insecurity and fear of math all through my remaining elementary and middle school years. It
wasnt until a teacher in my 9th grade geometry that I realized the potential I had.
E. High-school experience:
As I mentioned in part D, high school was a major turning point academically and
confidence-wise for me. I stopped caring so much what other people (including my
teachers) thought of me and started focusing on what I could do to better myself for me. I
worked tirelessly on schoolwork to achieve high grades (these had always been incredibly
important to me) and just tried to be me. This, of course, wasnt always easy, but I began to gain
more confidence in myself and in my abilities. Senior year especially was one of the best years
of my life. I didnt care about being cool or being just like everyone else. I was okay with not
fitting in and just trying to be the best friend and student I could be. High school was overall an
incredibly wonderful time for me, and I had some of the best teachers I could have ever asked for
while there.
F. College and university experience:
On top of being incredibly nervous and anxious for college classes, I was also
super nervous to be on my own. I am such a big family person that being away from them
terrified me. I quickly realized, though, that college is amazing. I was exploring math in a way I
never thought possible and meeting so many exciting new people. I loved being able to make my
own decisions and be on my own. The pressure I put on myself to get good grades, however,
never went away, and in fact intensified so much, that I ended up having panic attacks during
classes and tests. I was so worried about not being perfect, that I literally drove myself to a
breaking point. It took a lot (doctors, psychologists, therapists, etc.) to get me to the point where
I could control it. I learned an unbelievable amount about myself and what I can and cannot
handle, and really feel like I grew and changed so much along the way. College was good for me
and pushed me in all the right directions.
G. Why did you decide to become a teacher?:
I decided to be a teacher so that I could instill the confidence in students just as
my 9th grade geometry teacher had done for me. I wanted students to know that they arent
stupid, and that they can do anything they set their minds to. Just looking back and recalling the

teachers who had such a profound impact on my life, I thought, I want that to be me someday.
I want to be person who inspires someone to be the best he/she can be. There have been so many
people in my life who have done that for me, and I feel like teaching is paying that forward.
Sure, I really like math and spanish, but what I love even more is peoplekids. Theyre just
trying to figure out who they are and how they fit into this world, and its incredibly challenging.
So if I can help guide them in any way possible, I want to do that for them.
H. How did the people around you react to your career decision?:
I never felt any pressure from my parents to be or choose a certain career when I
grew up. So when I announced my decision to be a teacher, they were 100% supportive of my
choice. They always tell me how they think it suits me so well and that I will be great at it simply
because I care so much. That affirmation helps me brush off some of the not so great responses
I receive from others. Those range from, Good luck finding a job, to, I hope youre willing to
move, to, thank goodness you chose mathwe really need women in the sciences! The worst
is when teachers tell me that they really fear for my future and that I shouldnt expect to make
much. I want to respond and tell them that I know. I know I wont make a lot of moneytheyre
not the first ones to tell me thatbut thats not why Im doing this. I made this decision
consciously and its due to my love of teaching and students. They shouldnt be putting their own
profession downit doesnt help attract new teachers and it definitely doesnt help improve the
public image of teachers.
Prompt: Thinking about what you have already written, identify and write down five or six
of the larger themes or aspects of your personal history. We might call these life themes.
2. My life themes are the following:
A. A strong belief in working hard to achieve greatness.
B. A desire to push others to reach their full potential.
C. Finding a balance between the desire to be perfect and the desire to be relaxed.
D. A desire to positively inspire and influence those around me.
E. A strong belief in never letting others do for you what you can do for yourself.