My name is Julia Anderson and I am a first generation college
graduate and an aspiring educator. I was born and raised in Southern California
where I completed most of my education. When it came time to decide where I
wanted to attend college I knew that I wanted to move as far away from San
Diego while still staying in California. Ultimately, I completed my
undergraduate courses at California State University, Chico. During my time at
Chico State I joined the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority where I served as chapter
president, volunteered and spent countless hours in a formal classroom setting,
served as a coach for the Girls on the Run program, and was actively involved
as a volunteer with the special needs population.
From a young age I knew that I wanted to
teach. During my preschool days, I was that child who sat in the corner with
her dolls lined up in a row and repeated to them whatever was told to me.
Unlike many of my friends who changed their college major once or twice, mine
stayed consistent all four years. I like to think that my unchanging passion
for education remained because of the incredible role models I had growing up.
School wasn't something that necessarily came easy to me, but because of the
support system that I had growing up I was able to pursue and accomplish my
educational goals.
Being a child of the "technology
age" I always have had an interest in technology. I enjoy seeing the new
advances of pre-existing technology and learning about new items coming out. I
have a strange appreciation for that anticipation feeling some people get when
waiting for the new, hippest, cell phone or iPod. I enjoy sitting there and
pressing different buttons and waiting to see what happens next. Up until
recently my guilty pleasure was always finding out what the cool new social
media site is and now as I get older and real life sets in I find myself almost
getting annoyed with these sites. I find the technology advances to be
interesting and I would like to say that I am taking it all in and welcoming it
with open arms, but I don't know that I truly believe that. Now don't get me wrong,
technology is great and because of it we have been able to solve so many
problems. However, with my younger family members getting older and more
invested in it I am starting to see the downside of some of these advances. I
like to think that I am more indifferent.
The part that really stood out to me when reading the School of
Educations mission statement was the, "Inspire reflective teaching and
learning". I think this line spoke to me the most because I strongly
believe that we cannot improve if we do not take the time to sit and reflect on
what just happened. How can we expect ourselves to get better if we do not fix
our mistakes? We, as future educators, need to take the time to make changes to
our lessons and the way we are presenting the information. Everyone learns
differently and it should be everyone’s goal to ensure that their students are
receiving the best education possible and in order to do that we need to reflect.
Julia,
ReplyDeleteIt was really fun reading your story and getting to know you. First off, congratulations on being a first generation college graduate, that it awesome! I grew up in San Diego my whole life just like you did but I wanted to stay here. I also was in a sorority at my school and I know how time consuming that can be at times. The fact that you did all of the other things on top of going to school full time and being in a sorority is amazing. I'm sure it was hard at times but I know you probably got amazing experience with all the volunteer opportunities you got to take part in. I always wanted to do Girls on Run, so we will have to talk about that some day.
I have a similar opinion on technology. I am the same way with all the new iPhones and technology that comes out. We all want to have the latest and coolest product. However, I do also believe that technology is potentially having a negative effect on our younger population. I feel like parents just give their children the remote to the TV, their cell phones to play with, iPads, computers and all of the above to keep them occupied. I cannot tell you how many times families come into my work (restaurant) and the kids are all playing on iPads or iPhones. I feel like people aren't even enjoying the time they spend with each other due to technology. However, I do believe there is a very positive side to technology as well.
Thanks again for sharing your story!
Julia,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your "About Me" post. I think it is neat that your desire to teach has been there for a long time. It is important for future teachers to have a passion for education and children because their students will hopefully then get more out of their education experience. It is awesome that you were so involved in your school at Chico State. You seem to have a lot of experience working with students and children whether it is in the classroom or out of the classroom. It is neat to hear that you have worked with students with special needs because I think that every teacher needs to have at least one opportunity to do so. I have gotten the chance to work with students with special needs as well, and I am so thankful for it because of the lessons I learned while doing it.
After reading about your thoughts on technology, I have realized we are very similar. Since we have both grown up in the "technology age" we have been able to see the benefits of it but also the downfalls. I think it is interesting you mention watching your younger siblings with technology. I have also seen how a number of young children use technology, and most of the time it causes them to become isolated from the real world or prevents them from having more face to face contact. I agree with you when you say that technology is not bad, and there definitely needs to be more of a balance of how it is used.
Julia,
ReplyDeleteI too enjoyed your "About Me" section. I think that it was well written. I use to sit my younger cousins down and teach them how to write and do math, I actually had a chalkboard (you know before chalkboard paint). You really embrace your college years while as it seems still staying focused and for some that is hard to do. For some it is either the social aspect of college that gets them or the constant changing of majors. So kudos to you! I am a big fan of technology in the classroom, but I can definitely see what you mean about the younger generation getting a little too wrapped up in it. Thanks for sharing your story and I am looking forward to getting to work with you this summer.
Julia, Chico is definitely different than most of Southern California. Sometimes it's good to get a little distance and gain some new perspectives. In this class, you appear to be in the minority as far as having teaching be a goal from an early age. Clearly, that has helped you to make some great decisions and take advantage of opportunities to work and volunteer in student settings. Your perspective on technology and how it can be positive or negative is valuable. It will inform how you work with students and parents as far as technology appropriateness - a topic I think a few adults could use a lesson in, for sure.
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