Growing up, I did not enjoy reading and despised being told what and when to read. In fifth grade, I read one book that changed my mind entirely: Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. Looking back now, I know that this book was not the most educational or even the best of writing, but it got me reading and invested in the stories that literature can bring. I use reading as a tool to encourage creativity in the real world, in hopes of reaching my full potential in all of my future endeavors. One of my goals as an ELA teacher is to share that love and creativity with my students so that they can reach their potential.

I am from Springdale, Arkansas, and have lived in Northwest Arkansas for the entirety of my life, but am open to continuing my career anywhere a great opportunity presents itself. I graduated from the University of Arkansas with a degree in English Language Arts and a minor in rhetoric composition. My four years in this pursuit left a greater impact on me than I ever could have imagined. Through studying English, I have begun to understand how important literacy is and how it connects to a variety of disciplines. I have learned concepts in language, writing, reading, history, and how ideas in all disciplines interact with one another. My appreciation of literature and how it applies to everything has increased immensely. This is the main reason I plan to be an educator in this subject: hopefully the students I teach will learn to appreciate English, in the same way. 

      During the school year of 2020-2021, I was able to experience two student teaching internships; one at Springdale High School and George Junior High School, both in Springdale, AR. My time at both of these schools greatly prepared me to become a better educator and to take the next step into a classroom of my own and help students reach their greatest potential. I believe my specific skills of patience, creativity, empathy, as well as my desire to help students learn to appreciate literature and the English language, will help me to be of value to any school I will work for in the future.