A New Adventure

After high school, I didn't start out on a path to become a teacher.  Really, I didn't start out on a path to become much of anything.  Fast forward almost ten years and I am completely in love with teaching.  Because of this I want to share my love and knowledge, so I decided to start the new adventure of blogging and selling materials on Teachers Pay Teachers.  While I have been researching how to be successful at both of these adventures, I have been reading a lot about creating my brand.  I feel like a huge part of my brand is my story.  So here it goes...

I had no clue what I wanted to do or who I wanted to be as a adult.  I spent the better part of my first year of college just trying and failing at just about everything.  The only thing I was able to accomplish was completing a program to become a Certified Nursing Assistant.  One of my first jobs as a nursing assistant was at a nursing home for the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration.  While a 19 year old can learn a lot about life from 90 year old nuns, the most important thing was that they set me on the path to become a teacher.  I was struggling working only one job and was talking to one of the sisters about it when they recommended that I look into a place called Chileda.  Chileda is a residential school for children with developmental disabilities and challenging behavior in LaCrosse, WI.  I walked in, applied, and as they say, the rest is history.  Since that day, I have spent most of my time learning all I can about how to best educate children with special needs.  I have worked in-home doing crisis management.  I did ABA therapy for young children with autism.  I worked in a child and adolescent psychiatric unit in a large hospital system.  Every experience provided me with knowledge and skills that I now use as a public school Early Childhood Special Education Teacher in Milwaukee, WI.

Me and last years new adventure

Life has changed a lot in the last 10 years.  I became a wife and a mother.  I have had several jobs in different areas and have lived in three different cities.  This all shapes who I am and how I teach.  Thanks for checking out my first post and I hope you come back frequently to see what I have to offer.