Where did my interest in teaching come from, you may wonder? Ever since I was young, I fell in love with . . . you'll never guess . . . Math! Oh yes, how I love experiencing the "A-ha" moments that come after hundreds of pencil scratches followed by frantic erasing sessions. If you've never felt the joy that comes from Mathematics, I invite you to watch one or more of the following videos:
Because of my interest in math, I thought I wanted to be an engineer - but who really wants to do the exact same thing as their older brother. Seriously? Well, there has always been one obvious difference between me and my siblings: I am a wonderful cook! My brothers just like to eat the food. My sister, on the other hand, tries time and time again to prove herself in the culinary, needlework, and other "mother-oriented" venues. There have been many evenings where me and my siblings sit around laughing at my sister's attempted concoctions. "I got it!" I thought. I love baking, children, nutrition, and I'm working on the sewing thing. :) It was when I arrived in High School that I seriously considered being a teacher. I had many teachers that became my mentors. I remember many class period filled with interactive activities. We were in and out of our seats multiple times throughout class. This made learning fun. I could tell that my teachers had true passion for what they taught. The didn't just want us, as students, to pass tests, they wanted us to actually internalize what we were learning. I entered college with the intention of graduating with a bachelors in Family and Consumer Science Education (FCSE). After one semester of college, I felt like something was missing in my life. After giving it a good deal of thought, I realized that it was math!!! What was I thinking taking zero math classes?! That's when I decided to tack on the Mathematics Education major as well. So, I am now a proud undergraduate with a double major, and I love it! You may be thinking, "That's completely two different ends of the spectrum!" No worries, I get that all the time. :)
Now that you understand that there are actually people out there who enjoy math, you may be wondering, what is it's importance? What is it's meaning in life? Math has always followed me wherever I go, whether it be counting a stack of newspapers to deliver in the morning, working a cash register, or even working through disagreements. Math is it's own language (just like music) that, not only helps with simple computations, but also enhances communication skills, problem solving skills, and so on. Even music uses mathematics. So, for those of you out there that sing, dance, or play instruments, you already have a small place for math in your heart! :) Now, on the flip side, what is Family and Consumer Science? To me, it's happiness and diversity. It encompasses so many elements: cooking, sewing, adult roles, family finance, child development, nutrition, etc. Yes - it's the UMM!!!! (Ultimate Mom Major)! :) It brings so many different sensations such as: tastes, smells, laughter, knowledge, relationships, feelings, etc. They all build upon one another and enrich life. For example, learning how to cook and sew are wonderful ways to help children learn by trial and error and increase their understanding about various elements and procedures.
Isn't that kind of what literacy is? Being able to add to the previous knowledge you already have? And not just that, but to actually apply it to various things in life? Literacy, not only relates to FCSE, but also to Mathematics. Most of my life, I have always thought that literacy was just reading comprehension. However, as I'm taking this class (Language, Literacy, and Learning in the Content Areas), my understanding of literacy is slowly changing. We talked about how literacy is building upon previous knowledge. Math does exactly that! For example, if you don't know how to do Algebra, you can't learn Calculus. It constantly builds upon itself, and there's always more to learn and experiment with that helps facilitate learning. I am so excited to continue to learn more about what literacy really is, and how it better relates to these content areas.
