Motivation

1. Ever since I can remember, I have always loved history.  I loved learning about war and how war affects people.  I grew up hearing my grandpa's war stories.  It wasn't until high school, however, that I decided to be a teacher.  I had a fantastic history teacher my junior year and it was then that I knew that I was going to teach history!  I have had my doubts and concerns, even fears about entering the profession of teaching but for me, the rewards far outweigh my fears.  I decided to come to UVU because I heard of the great program that it had.  I also decided on UVU because of its location.

2. Some things that motivate me are inspiring stories about people who overcome seemingly insurmountable odds, beautiful pictures, interesting places, my family, myself, setting achievable goals, seeing someone I respect have an attribute that I want, grades, learning, and wanting to be better!

3. I think one of the biggest reasons I succeed is that I want my life to be different then where I came from. I came from a pretty intense and volatile background.  I never wanted my life to be that way if I could help it, so I changed it.  To me, growing up this way was both controllable and uncontrollable.  For instance, I could not make choices about where we moved, where we lived, or how my mother chose to spend her time but I could choose to do my homework or what friends I had.  I am a big believer that every person controls their future, no matter how dire their circumstances.  However, I am also realistic enough to know that many may not feel this way or don't have the capabilities to change their circumstances, even though they may want to.  I was lucky enough to be presented with that opportunity that others might never receive.  One reason that I fail is probably due to my tendency to spread myself too thin and therefore can't devote as much time to everything I have going on as I would like.  For me, failure has an internal locus.  If I fail, it is because of something I did, not because of something that happened to me.  One of my favorite sayings to live by is that life is ten percent of what happens to you and ninety percent how you react.  So, if my reaction is failure, it's because I chose that outcome, not because it happened to me.

4.  My goals for this course seem mastery oriented.  I would much rather compete with myself than with someone else.  Many of my goals focused on changing my habits and learning rather than outperforming someone or completing my goals for external gratification.

5.  A great teacher is so, well, subjective.  The idea of a great  teacher depends a lot on the students previous experience and personality.  Some things that I think of when I think of a great teacher include being fair to all students and really working hard to ensure individual success for the students in the class.  I feel that through this class, by learning about how different mind sets and thinking processes work, it will better prepare me to handle different types of learning styles and be better prepared to ensure individual success.  The more you know, the greater ability you have to help.  So, I pretty much want to become as porous as possible and soak up as much information as I can so that I have the tools to help my students.