Totally forgot the introduction!

I'm excited to dive into this class. Considering I'm already two chapters in, I kind of know what to expect, which is to learn a lot. I did my novice teaching in a middle school, and I wish I had taken this class first. While the experience went well, and was rewarding for me as a teacher, I think I could have made it that much better if I had known all of this going into it. Anyway, looking forward to being here and taking away many valuable lessons. A little about myself: I'm not a traditional student.

Becoming a teacher was a new and unexpected journey for me. I worked in the corporate world for over eight years. I started in graphic design, moved into marketing, and eventually became Director of Communications for a local non-profit until 2007 when donations took a hit. After that,  I worked at Cat in their marketing department, spending my days trapped in front a computer working in dealer support. After less than a year there, I was ready to be done with marketing all together lest I go insane—at least marketing in the corporate world. I made the irrational decision to quit and live off of my savings for nearly nine months. During that time, I volunteered with a Bloomington-based non-profit called GOYA. They had a need, and I was able to fill it. It wasn't a paid position, but it was one of the most fulfilling jobs I'd ever had, and one I still volunteer for today. My job was to create and implement fund raising strategies, and create the materials necessary to spread the word of our organization.

As a company, we adopted the slum of Mitumba, outside of Nairobi, Kenya. We raised funds vigorously and, within the first year had dug three fresh water wells, built a medical facility, and teamed up with the ISU Mennonite College of Nursing to send nurses and doctors to Mitumba three times a year to treat the nearly 10,000 people that live there.

After only three years, we were able to build an elementary school and middle school, train teachers, and create nearly 100 jobs for the residents of Mitumba. My final hurrah there was moving forward on building a high school. In Kenya, high schools are traditionally boarding schools, which meant that we would have to hire staff to stay on the grounds 24/7, provide three meals a day, and have a dedicated medical facility on the grounds. The total cost of the project to build it, staff it, and maintain it for one year, was $250,000. Pennies by American standards for a school, but that's a fortune in Kenya. After nearly 20 months of working, we were finally able to purchase the land and begin construction on the school. It's still not open yet, but we are getting closer every day.

That's a really long way of explaining why teaching is such an unexpected adventure. Making this jump into uncharted territory has been exciting and scary for the past four years. Honestly, my work with GOYA is why I'm here today. After working on this project, and spending so much time discussing education, meeting with teachers, and seeing the change a good education could bring, I knew I had to teach. I knew it was going to be the best way for me to use my knowledge and experiences, and hopefully inspire other people to close their eyes and jump. Sometimes we don't always know where we'll land, but that's okay. If I can use my experiences to inspire other people to jump too, then this will all have been worth it.

Anyway, that's my introduction.