Monday-My teacher story

Today I am linking up with Janaye over at Tales of Frogs & Cupcakes for her teacher story linky party. I can't remember if I have shared this story with my bloggy friends yet, so here it goes. I grew up in a family full of teachers. Both grandmas were teachers for 30+ years. One of my grandpas taught art. My dad was and still is a high school science teacher. So I never really experienced much else. Then I started school-I loved kindergarten. But then I went to first grade...I got to be in Mrs. Bell's first grade class in room 12. (strange what you remember) I came home on the first day and said to my mom, "Mom, when I grow up I want to teach first grade just like Mrs. Bell!" Well that continued to stick with me. I had great teachers throughout my grade school, middle school, and high school (I even got to be in my dads science class!). But I never wavered from wanting to be like Mrs. Bell. She has become a great friend and I still talk to her. Last year when I got my first job she was so excited because she has been saving all of her stuff for me since she retired-books, books on tape, teacher books, manipulatives. So much stuff! She even kept it when she moved. Well then I went to college, I stayed at the local community college for the first two years on scholarship so that I could get the prerequisites out of the way before doing what I thought would be a teaching program there in town as well. There were different things waiting for me. The community college dropped the teaching program. So I applied (late because of the program being dropped at home) and got into a fabulous program 2.5 hours from home. So I moved (thankfully my aunt and uncle lived near the college and I got to live with them for 2 years) and got my teaching degree at WSU in Vancouver. This program was FABULOUS! Intense but wonderful. Then year two began and I was placed (for the whole year) to student teach in a first grade class. The placement I got was EXACTLY the place I wanted to be (I had volunteered at the school the previous year because a friends daughter was in one of the other first grade classes there. I would work with kids in the first grade common area -which meant I got to watch all 4 1st grade teachers. I Loved watching Mrs. L! She was exactly what I wanted to be!) and first grade!    So I spent a FANTASTIC year working with my mentor teacher (who was doing her administrative internship). I got SO much experience -they really were OUR super Bees! (no picture of them for privacy.) After graduation I spent about a month subbing here in town ( I moved to the beach the day after graduation-actually I moved before graduation now that I think about it). I got called nearly everyday. Anything from 6th to music to PE to first grade. So much experience and it was great to get to know the 2 staffs at our two elementary schools.
Then I applied for a job 48 miles from home...Just because. Well I interviewed for that job then they called me and offered me the Kindergarten position 3 hours later (as I was pulling into my driveway after dinner with my dad). I took it. I spent the year teaching Kinder with an awesome staff-but commuting one hour each way, EVERYDAY. It was a great year but a long year. Then there was an opening here in town at the school I wanted to be at in first grade. SO I applied. I didn't get the job. I cried. It was no good. Then I interviewed last week for the 6th grade opening at the same school. I got it. I got all hyped up about it. Planned all sorts of things that I was going to do with all 33 of those kids. Then my principal called me this morning...one of the two 1st grade teachers they hired decided not to come. She asked if I wanted it.

So now at this point in my teaching story... I am teaching 1st grade at the school I want to. Looking at my teaching journey so far it has sort of been like my teaching fairytale-it always seems to have a happy ending.

Hope this wasn't too mixed up or wordy... I was having computer issues so there are no real paragraph breaks and the pictures are not where I want. First picture was myself and my best friend since age 2 on our first day of first grade. The second picture was my cohort at WSUV. Awesome teachers and great friends!

So there was my teacher story. What's yours?