When I was a young child my parents were very much the traditional role models. My father was a policeman and my mom was a school bus driver so she could stay home with me for most of the day. I have one older sister who is four years older than me. Growing up we were never very close (as I was always the annoying younger sister - go figure) but the summer after my sophomore year of high school we developed a great relationship and have been close ever since.
When I turned eight and was entering second grade, my dad decided that our family would buy a dump truck and my mom would drive it. So in second grade I went from my mom dropping me at school in her school bus to mom dropping me off at school in her dump truck. This was a theme in my life through high school as mom would often pick my up from after-school activities in the dump truck. My mom being one of the few women dump truck drivers in the area in 1978 was a good thing for me. As a young girl my mother made me realize that women can be strong and feminine at the same time.
School was very enjoyable for me during my elementary years. I loved going to school and had lots of friends. I was in the TAG program during fifth and sixth grade and although I had a good experience with the program, I have to admit the teaching approach confused and frustrated me at the time. It was very much like the approach of Carl Rogers where I was allowed to explore any topic that I thought was interesting. Although this was a wonderful opportunity for me I was never really comfortable.
In Middle School I was also in the TAG program and was placed in all the excelled course. For some reason being smart was a cool thing in grades first through sixth, but it was not so cool in the seventh and eighth grades. I went from being one of the more popular kids with lots of friends to an unpopular smart kid that had no friends. Basketball was my one social outlet in Middle School that helped me connect with kids outside the twenty kids that were in all my excelled courses with me. High School was a pleasant surprise for me as I realized that being smart put you in classes with older students so I started making friends that were older than I was. Having friends in the upper classes is extremely helpful when you are a nerdy Freshman.
Canby in the early 70's was predominantly a farming community with a few commuter families, like my family. Even though it was a agricultural community there was very little cultural diversity within the town. There were towns to the south and southwest of Canby (Woodburn, Gervais, Mt. Angel, etc.) that had some cultural diversity but we generally never went to those areas. The only time growing up that I had a chance to experience cultural diversity in school was playing sports when we would play teams from Portland or Mt. Angel or in the summers when I worked out in the fields and picked produce.
Diversity found me in college. Arizona State University had 45,000 students the year I arrived. My classes were filled with people from all different diversities. I learned there was a much bigger world outside of small town Canby. A combination of a Sociology major and many history classes gave me a wonderful experience of seeing the world through many different lenses. I returned to college in 1996 to earn my MBA. I was in the two year, part-time, night program and once again was immersed in diversity in my classes; not only ethnic but age and economic as well. It was a wonderful growth experience for me.
I have had the opportunity to work in the corporate world in various positions. More recently I was able to help my parents run their business and be home with my children at the same time. Being able to help out at my oldest son's school and volunteer at a local Middle School helped solidify my desire to become a teacher. I am excited and a little terrified about the upcoming months, but isn't that what life is all about?
