My Journey

My Journey into Higher Learning

Brooke Hyer
EDUC 201 Foundations of Education
Fall 2013

My Journey

My Journey into Higher Learning

It wasnt always my dream to be a teacher. By the time that I entered my high school years I
was more concerned about my social prospects then I was my educational. It wasnt always that
way though. I did have some excellent elementary school teachers who tried so hard to inspire a
love of learning, but this inspiration wasnt able to stand the test of time, or boys. This is a story
of falling in love with learning again.
Educational Background
I grew up in a small, south western Montana town, named Deer Lodge. On the outside, it
appeared to be a sleepy little settlement, lacking any special qualities. Upon closer inspection,
one would find a lively little metropolis, where the main source of employment came either from
a large logging company, or the State Penitentiary. Most of the residents of the town were well
acquainted with the prison; either by having a family member employed there, or by having a
family member incarcerated there. I was one of the lucky ones that fell into the first group.
This small, sleepy town boasted four different schools. The first, O.D Speer housed the lower
grades, from Kindergarten to Second Grade. Im sure that this school was named after some
clever man, made famous for his contribution to Deer Lodge society, but that information, as
well as many other lessons obtained here has since left my mind. This was a rather small
school, set on a hill top, amongst many large Evergreens. It boasted a wonderful playground,
where we spent many cold winter afternoons playing in the mounds of snow that would
frequently pile against the old brick building. The teachers here were not quite as memorable.
Im sure that they spent many hours planning curricula that would both educate and enthrall us,
but the effect never quite hit home with me.

My Journey

Granville Stuart, the second school, was situated to the rear of the first. These two schools
were divided by a line of immense Evergreen trees that we were told we must never cross (even
if we saw a younger sibling on the other side, crying and begging for a hug). Im not sure if the
teachers here were of a higher quality, or if it simply that I began to enjoy obtaining an
education, but I had many wonderful teachers here. They had excellent lessons on everything
from science, to swimming, and I thrived while attending this school from grade three to grade
six.
The third school that I attended was set next to the second, and this is where the seventh and
eighth graders obtained their education. We were given many lessons, ranging from History, to
Woodshop, and most of the teachers were well versed in their subjects, although a little
uninspiring. I did manage to learn many things while attending this school, from how to make
brownies, to the new revelation that x would never equal y in my mind.
The last school in this town left much to be desired. It was situated several blocks away from
the elementary school, and out of the watchful eye of the Superintendent. A good number of the
staff at Powell County High School had been the same ones that had taught my parents. Many of
these teachers no longer wished to work, and this was apparent in the lessons that they taught us.
There were several inappropriate relationships with students, and this left me with a bad taste in
my mouth where education was concerned. Upon completion of High School, it was my belief
that I would never set foot in a school again.
I have since come to the realization that, despite my personal experiences, there are many
wonderful teachers in the world, and that I would like to be one of them. I am now in my
sophomore year of college and hope to obtain a teaching degree.

My Journey

My personal education has taught me many things. Many of these lessons were obtained by
learning from the mistakes of others, but there are some lessons that were positive. To be an
effective teacher, you must have a passion for education. This isnt something that can be faked.
If your heart isnt in teaching, your students will know it. I have also learned that when you do
have this passion, amazing things can happen. Your students will see the love that you have for
education, and this will inspire them to obtain great things themselves.
I have also learned that it is the teacher that establishes the dynamics of a classroom. Young
children often mimic what they see. If they see an adult who is loving and accepting of all of
their students, they will likely be accepting of these students as well. On the other hand, if they
see their teacher treating a student with a lack of respect, they too, will ostracize the child.
Teachers play a vital role in their students lives. This role extends well beyond the
educational purposes that it was designed to be. It is vital that teachers have an understanding of
this role, and fulfill it to the best of their abilities.
Work History
During my high school years, I spent several summers watching over children. Every
summer, I would find a family that I could nanny for, and this was an excellent way to earn
money while not attending schools. I had made a babysitting bag in my 4-H club, and I kept it
stocked with coloring books, puzzles, puppets, games and snacks. I often sat for more than one
family at a time, and this gave me extensive experience dealing with multiple children whose
needs varied.

My Journey

After graduating from high school, I was employed as a nanny for a family in Malvern,
Pennsylvania. My duties not only included the care of the children, but also the aspect of
running a household, where I was maid, cook, and laundress, as well as many other duties. Both
of the parents worked long hours, leaving before the children were awake, and returning long
after the children had been put to bed. I, in a sense, was in charge of the many roles that a parent
would play. I comforted them when they were ill, and celebrated with them when they had
accomplished a goal that they had been working on. I stayed with this family for six months, and
was laid off shortly after that when the childrens mother lost her position as the director of the
local hospital. During my stay with this family, I learned the importance of parents, and how the
lack of attention from a parent to their child can have a devastating effect on a child.
During the time between my nanny position and the birth of my child, I moved around the
country, living and working in different cities. Most of these jobs were as a waitress, and it was
during these times where I learned organizational and time management skills.
After the birth of my son, I moved back home to Boise. I was employed at St. Alphonsus
Regional Medical Center where I worked for twenty months as a guest relations coordinator in
the Intensive Care Unit. My duties here involved caring for the families of the people who were
patients in the Intensive Care Unit. I was an advocate for them, helping in any way that I could.
I often set up appointments with social workers and doctors. If they were not from Boise, and
needed somewhere to stay, it was my job to help with those arrangements as well. The most
important aspect of my job, however, was to be a listening ear for the family. I offered comfort
when they cried, at times, crying with them. I celebrated with them when their family members
recovered, and moved to different parts of the hospital. I loved the interaction with people in this
job and I learned many lessons here. I learned empathy for my fellow human beings, to work

My Journey

hard to accomplish the things which I had power to accomplish, and to ask for help when the
situation became too great for me to handle.
While I had a job that I loved, I felt that I was missing out on my sons important milestones.
It was for this reason that I left my job in the Intensive Care Unit and became employed at St.
Alphonsus Early Learning Center. This was the private daycare for the employees of the
hospital. We accepted ages six weeks to twelve years. I was employed with the ELC for
approximately seven years. I worked with a variety of ages and developments, but the final few
years were spent in the School Age room. My duty in this room was to transport the children to
and from school, offer tutoring help when necessary and planning and implementing appropriate
curriculum. Another important aspect of my job was to help in preparing the younger children
for Kindergarten, by working on letter and number recognition, writing, rote counting as well as
social skills. During my employment here, I learned the importance of appropriate
student/teacher relationships, the planning and implementation of curriculum, and the ability to
be in charge of large groups of children.
When the School Age program was cut, I decided to leave St. Alphonsus and obtained a job
with the Meridian School District as a substitute teacher. I mainly worked in the Extended
Resource Room, and felt comfortable there. This job was short lived, as I was hired into a
permanent position at Prospect Elementary in their Extended Resource Room six weeks after I
began substituting.
My job at Prospect was to work with children with physical and mental disabilities. I spent
three years here, working in a variety of classrooms and with a great range of children. It was
my responsibility to assist the students in meeting the goals set in their IEP, whether they

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involved social or educational skills. I worked on the skills needed, and filled out the reports
necessary to show that we were working on these goals. I learned many things while employed
at Prospect, but I feel that the most important lesson learned was that I have a passion and gift for
teaching. I love interacting with students, and cannot wait to have my own classroom.
This passion for teaching grew even more when I, again, became a substitute teacher. This
time, I spent a great amount of time teaching in the younger grades. I found that this was the age
that I loved. My duties were to implement the lesson plans left by the teacher, manage classroom
behavior and fulfill the duties of the teacher that I was replacing. The lessons that I learned while
being a substitute teacher were the behavior management of large groups of children,
implementation of a curriculum and fulfilling the daily role of a classroom teacher.
I am currently employed as a nanny for a family with three children. It is my responsibility to
fulfill the roles that their parents are unable to fulfill in their morning routines. This job allows
me to attend school full time, and still have a vital presence in my own childs life.
Service and Extracurricular Activities
Throughout the years I have participated in many service or extracurricular activities that
have helped prepare me as a professional educator. Some of these experiences have taught me
how to prepare and present lessons to children, and some have taught me compassion for my
fellow man.
Throughout high school I was a member of the cheerleading team. Each year, we held camps
to help cover the expenses that we incurred. These camps were held nightly for one week, and
during this time, I was responsible for the care and direction of several young children. It was
my responsibility to not only see to their safety, but to also teach them some of the aspects of

My Journey

being a cheerleader. These camps were incredibly enjoyable for all involved, and taught me
many valuable lessons, including the instruction of and responsibility to large groups of children.
I have, for several years, been involved with the Boys and Girls Club of the Treasure Valley. I
assist them with their annual fund raiser, Wild West Night, where I work with a group to help
with the financial portion of the event. It is my responsibility to ensure that the proper items are
billed to the clients and to help with settling payments at the end of the night. Though this
service opportunity doesnt allow for me to work directly with the children, I do help to ensure
that the organization reaches the financial goals that they need to maintain a clean, well run
facility for children.
I have also helped in the facilitation and presentation of a Lets Get Healthy event for the
Meridian Boys and Girls Club. Here, a close friend asked me to help her set up booths,
activities, and meals for the children and their families. This event was centered on maintaining
a healthy life style, and the children earned play money that they were able to cash in on a fruit
and vegetable stand that we provided. This was an excellent event, and I was incredible honored
to be a part of it.
For the past seven years I have been a teacher in the Sunbeam class for my church. It is my
responsibility to provide a lesson and activities for the three to four year old that attend my
church. On average I have six children that are left in my care. We participate in sharing time,
music time, and class time. It is my responsibility to ensure that the children sit reverently for
sharing time and actively participate during singing time. I then bring the children to a
classroom where they are given a twenty minute lesson that I have prepared. It was due to this,
as well as my experience in classrooms at schools that I have acquired a passion for education. I

My Journey

have learned the value over-preparation, classroom management skills and compassion for
children. I have learned to manage small and large groups of children, and the importance of
making a connection with the child when you are able to.
Reasons for Choosing Education as a Career
I never imagined that I would have a passion for education. The lackluster teachers of my
youth far outweighed the teachers who made educators someone to admire. Even as I began my
career in the education field, I did so with the assumption that this was something for now. In
the years that I spent working in with children, both as a child care worker, and in the Extended
Resource Room for the Meridian School District, I found myself dreaming of the day when I
would join my family of professional nurses in the health care field. That was my passion, and I
was just working in the education field because it enabled me to work hours that were conducive
to raising a child on my own.

I had often had co-workers tell me that I would make a great

teacher, but it wasnt my dream. It was just a for now job. This all changed about three years
ago when I began working as a substitute teacher.
I remember the moment as if it was yesterday. I was sitting in front of a class of
Kindergarteners and was reading to them after they had their afternoon snack. The book was
extremely entertaining, and at one point, I glanced up from my reading to find every eye in the
room on me, totally engrossed in the tale. It was at this moment that I was hooked. I loved the
feeling of making a difference in the lives of these young children. It was for this reason that I
decided to become an educator.
Since this moment, I have had many more experiences that I have found rewarding. I believe
that this is possible now, because I have opened myself up to the likelihood of being a teacher. I

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find a thrill in helping a child learn their letters and numbers, and seeing them master a new
concept is something that I dont think I will ever tire of seeing. There are several other rewards
that I find appealing in the education field, but this is the one that stands out the most to me. I
will make a positive difference in a childs life, and that is worth more than anything else.
Professional Goals
There are many short term goals that I would like to achieve on my path to becoming a
professional educator. The most important of these goals is to obtain a bachelors degree in field
of Elementary Education. This will be the cornerstone of my professional career. To obtain my
degree, I will continue to work through the required courses, which, upon completion, will
further enhance my professional prospects. In combination with this required school work, I
have set a personal goal to complete the required courses with a 4.0 GPA. This is a significant
undertaking, and involves many hours of study; however, I feel that I will be rewarded for the
extra effort that I have made. It is also my desire to obtain a working understanding of the
different methods that effective teachers use, so that I, one day, may implement these strategies
into my own curriculum.
When looking at my long-term professional goals I most closely focus on upon the
completion of my degree. With degree in hand, it is my desire to obtain a job with one of the
excellent school districts near my home. I hope, within these school districts to teach in a lower
grade classroom, working with Kindergarten to second grades. It is my desire to instruct my
students in ways that they will find both educational and enthralling. I hope to foster a love of
learning that will continue to follow my students well beyond my classroom, into their further
educational years.

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It is my desire to continue my own education, eventually receiving my masters. While I am

not, at this time, interested in working in an administrative aspect, the further educational
instruction will leave me open to this option. It is my belief that this is important, not only in the
aspect of professional advancement, but also in the aspect of having my students witness my
continuing education It is my conviction that you should never stop learning, and this will be a
great way to lead by example of for my students. I also believe that this will enable me to be a
more effective teacher in that it will enhance my empathy for my students. I will have a more
recent, personal understanding of the difficulties of learning, and hopefully I will be better able
to help my students work through any shortcomings that they may face.
While my goals may appear lofty at this point in my education, I know that will the right
motivation and considerable amounts of effort, they are something that I will obtain in my future.
I will be a professional educator, as this is my calling in life and I am willing to put in the
required effort to obtain my dreams.
My journey has taken me a long way from the small, Montana town. There have been many
twists and turns, but I am finally headed in a direction that has significant promise. I will be a
teacher someday, and this is something that both excites me, and inspires me to try my hardest
every day.