I was born as the fourth and final member of my family in Orange, California. On August 1st, 1990, my whole life was before me, ready to be melded into almost anything. The influences surrounding me in this little suburban upbringing would come to have a profound effect on the direction of my life. Much like all kids, I was raised in school and in the classroom from my pre-school years to the present. However, both of my parents were teachers so even when I was out of the my own classroom I found myself in theirs. One of my first memories takes place in pre-school when I was about 3 years old. The preschool was right next to the high school my dad taught in and, during lunch, a number of the preschoolers walked over to his classroom where he read us the book “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.” Needless to say, I was a very proud little three year old. As a result of this experience and many others, teaching was the profession I always identified with throughout my education. I analyzed the techniques my teachers used that I liked with the idea of using it in my own teaching environment someday.
My mom was an elementary school teacher and my father was a history teacher and coach. It was their sporting side that made me an incredibly active child who played baseball and soccer competitively week in and week out. I grew to love sports and games, playing them socially and competitively whenever I could. In particular, my love for soccer lead me to be the Vice President of the Men’s Soccer Club program at CSULB. We only had a coach in the fall semester so during the spring semester, with the help of a few other players, I ran practices and games. On top of the club team, I have run and continue to run a coed beach soccer team on sundays and a coed outdoor friday team and an coed futsal tuesday night team, as well. There is something uniquely interesting to me about evaluating the skill set of a player, placing them in a position that both compliments their abilities and tendencies as well as the abilities and tendencies of their teammates. In my time at Cal State Long Beach, I have been a part of and helped my club soccer team qualify for three regionals and three national tournaments. I have also won every coed league I have headed a team in. I am a little proud but I am not trying to gloat. I just mention this because both playing sports and evaluating athletes is something I often obsess over and love to do.
Having said that, I never really knew what kind of teacher I wanted to be. The only thing I was ever certain of is that I loved teaching and wanted to teach. I did always enjoy the narrative of history so when I got into Cal State Long Beach and pursued a history degree. At this time, I still was not sure if I wanted to be an elementary school teacher like my mom or a history teacher like my father. However, I did know that no matter my degree I could get into either credential program. The ability to coach was the biggest draw for teaching high school but, ultimately, working more closely with fewer students, being able to help nurture their self understanding, compelled me to take steps towards becoming an elementary school teacher. I took the multisubject observation class and started working in a preschool so I could better understand children and gain important experience. I also started talking more frequently with the educator friends of my family, for which we have many. Conversations with two family friends in particular helped me understand what kind of teacher I really wanted to be. Susie MacPhee, a special educator, and Laura Choate, a curriculum developer. It was conversations with them that made me aware of adapted physical education teachers. Something I had never heard of before. When I looked more into the field I began to understand that these teachers often evaluate the physical abilities of students, those students interests and tendencies, and develop appropriate curriculum for their unique learning needs. This teaching profession ticks all the boxes for me.
These aforementioned influences brought me to where I am today. My parents careers as educators gave me an understanding and love for the profession. My love for sports, games, and teaching made me interested in coaching. My desire to work more closely with a smaller number of students temporarily lead me on a path towards elementary education until I learned, rather late in my own education, about adapted physical educators. Now I am taking my first step towards my Physical Education Credential with an Adapted Physical Education Added Authorization.
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