I grew up on a small farm in West Texas, where the wind blows and the dust never settles, and it taught me that investigation, exploration and experimentation should never be hindered. Being an only child, I had to keep myself occupied. I was always outside exploring, collecting indigenous insects, herding goats, and investigating ant beds. I have since bonded with nature and wanted more than anything to be a scientist one day. Today, I believe every teacher is, in a sense, a very special type of scientist.  Daily, teachers must problem-solve, hypothesize and develop experiments to improve each student’s learning.

The old-fashioned way of getting a regular job and working eight to five inevitably became my life. I started my first job at fifteen. After high school, and without educational funding, I had to take night classes and work during the day. Later in life, my mom and I partnered up and started a real-estate business. We bought and sold homes to lower income families that needed to re-establish their credit. For the first time in my life I was making money doing something I loved, and something that I felt improved my sense of humanity. My customers were very appreciative and I got to travel with my mom all over the state.

Unfortunately, after three years of working with her, my mom passed away suddenly. I was very distraught for a long time and was unable to work. Much sooner than I expected I met the love of my life and married. My husband went on to become a teacher, and after getting really involved with his students and lessons I was hooked.  I realized that my dream of exploring, investigation and experimenting could be fulfilled through teaching children.

WGU has been a perfect avenue for accomplishing my dream of becoming a teacher. My demonstration teaching experience was amazing and I gained much knowledge from my host teacher. I took on the full responsibility of teaching four 8th grade physical science classes, and set goals for myself to educate the students about the importance of understanding the natural world around them.  

As a teacher, I am passionate about whatever I teach and in response the students start becoming more and more eager to join in on the fun. My class represents equality and my students know that I would never intentionally be bias, only act sincere concern.

Now, when I am not busy teaching my students, I am occasionally taking care of hurt wildlife at the local rescue center or volunteering at a rabbit rescue organization. I also enjoy outdoor activities such as gardening, hiking, camping and exploring ancient ruins. My husband and I are avid travelers, recently visiting Peru, Ecuador, and soon will visit Teotihuacán and the Sequoia forests in northern California. My personality description would definitely include extremely helpful, because I gain much happiness from helping, whether it be opening the door for an elderly person or moving a snail off a walkway, picking up trash to bottle feeding baby rabbits. Teaching gives me a great opportunity to help shape people's lives and humanity in the world, and in doing so, I have found my true calling. As a teacher, I use my intelligence and observation to help students solve problems every day and that's something I love doing.

I became a teacher because I want to convey to my students, hope and interest in learning for the rest of their lives and our common future.  I will strive to encourage students to have faith in their influence on this world and help give them the knowledge that they can use to make a change.