My Childhood Web

I must admit, this was a tough post for me because it was hard to think of specific individuals that had an impact on my life. I can truly say that my childhood was filled with many caring people.  There are three people that I feel were especially nurturing, caring, and influential in helping me become who I am today. They are as followed:

My maternal grandmother-
My Nan was my primary care giver as a child. From the age of 1.5 years until I was old enough to stay by myself at home, she was the person that would always "watch" me. We would go to the store together, we went on walks,  I spent the night at her house, any day to day activity there is, we did it together. When I was school age, she would volunteer in my class, go on field trips, take me to dance/piano lessons, make my lunch to take to school, and again anything else you can think of she did. To this day she still is making me muffins, playdough for my class, beanbags for school, or anything else that I may need.

This is me with my maternal grandparents at my first Easter.

My grandmother is a coupon lady. She taught me at an early age to make sure I look at the weekly ads for the best deals!

My parents-
I know it probably sounds cliche to say your parents had a big impact on you during your childhood, because in most cases, what parents don't have an impact. But I truly cannot imagine what my childhood would have been like without them.

At an early age I began to travel.  I am pretty sure my first trip was when I was 4 months old, so I guess I got the travel bug early. I really believe that because my parents traveled with me, and exposed me to different cultures, people, food, and experiences, I am the inclusive thinker/person that I am. I also believe that my love for traveling is because of them and remind that when I want to go to places that are a little more "exotic." 

This is a picture of me on one of my first vacations.

My passion for education is also thanks to my parents. Both of my parents are educators. My mother was a teacher and principal and my dad is a director of adult education. As a child  I can remember going into my moms school to help her decorate, visit her class, drop off supplies, attend a concert, or anything else she needed to do at school. As a child I was always around educators.  I often say when people ask me why I chose education as a career that I didn't know better, that's what I grew up in.


Mrs. Anderson-
Mrs. Anderson was my gifted education teacher. I had the privilege of being her student from 2nd grade until 6th grade. Looking back on things, I can say she is one of the people that knew I could be a leader, and pushed me to do this. As a younger child, of course I was not doing presentations or anything, but Mrs. Anderson pushed me to share my opinion and speak up! In the elementary school I was in, I was the only girl in the gifted program in my grade, and the boys I was with were very opinionated. Mrs. Anderson would always tell me to stand up to those boys, and tell them what I think. I am pretty sure that was one of my GIEP goals.

Mrs. Anderson also stood up for me. My district thought that gifted education meant that high math scores were the only thing that "smart" kids were good at. I was not a "smart" kids that was good at math and my district didn't feel that I should be in the gifted class anymore. Mrs. Anderson went to bat for me and of course reminded them of multiple intelligences, and that being in a class of math wiz boys doesn't mean I am not "gifted." Even as a young student I can remember how upset I was that I wasn't the normal gifted student and that my math abilities or lack of, were the most important thing.

I see Mrs. Anderson every few years, just out and about, and I always tell her how much she meant to me and thank her for everything.