Practice Post

Question/Topic: Who am I? Why do I want to be an educator? What does an educator do in his or her practice? What are my passions?

Outline:
A. Introduction
1. Basics
-a. name, age, where i've lived
2. Family Life
-a. mom, dad, step mom, sister
3. University Life
-a. local, scholarship, commute
B. Teaching
1. My reasons for wanting to teach
-a. I have always loved helping people
-b. I've seen teachers who have made an impact on people's lives, and I want to be a part of that experience.
-c. high school example
-d. I want to be a part of the future in a big way.
2. Educator's work
-a. technology
-b. responsibility in the classroom
C. Fun facts and Passions
1. Fun facts
-a. AOII, Trail Maid, Knitting
2. Passions
-a. photography

Hi there! My name is Emily Rodrick.

I am eighteen years young and am currently enjoying cruising through life. My family consists of my stepmother, Debbie, my non biological father, Billy, and my adopted sister, Sara. I myself am also adopted from Hefei, China. I was adopted by Billy and Robyn, my dad’s first wife who passed away from ALS in 2005, when I was eleven months old. I don’t remember much about the adoption center seeing as how I was so young, but I am grateful for being adopted. During that time, China had a one child law to control the population. I could have been killed or abandoned due to that. My parents often remind me of how lucky I was to be left in front of the orphanage instead of in a dumpster in a back alleyway. I hold no grudge against my biological mother. She left me to be found, and I believe that means she truly loved me and wanted me to have a better future. My sister shares the same story as I do. However, she was found at a train station near the country. As sad as my story seems, I still live a great life.

I had the privilege of being an Azalea Trail Maid my senior year of high school and because of that was able to walk in the Disney Easter Parade in Disneyworld, the Cherry Blossom parade in Washington D.C, and the McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade in Chicago.

In my spare time I really enjoy watching Netflix or being involved. I am a sister in the sorority Alpha Omicron Pi here at South Alabama. Being a part of sorority keeps me busy, especially now that recruitment week is going on. I have been in a relationship for about two years and some months with a wonderful man named AJ. He is also a student here at South Alabama. He is majoring in computer programming at the moment. When I’m not busy with my sorority, hanging out with friends, or catching up on homework, you can find me watching Netflix or browsing the internet. I’m a kid at heart so the Disney section is my favorite section on Netflix. With that being said, Disneyland and Disneyworld are my happy places. I love going there and I believe that you are never too old for Disney.

As far as picking where I wanted to go for university, it was a no brainer. I knew I wanted to stay close, even though I always said I wanted to go somewhere half way across the country. My top three choices were Auburn University, Southern Mississippi, and the University of South Alabama. All three schools have great education programs which made it hard to choose. In the end, money was the ultimate decider. My scholarship from the University of South Alabama was more beneficial than the ones from Southern Mississippi or Auburn. Being able to live at home and save money that way was also a plus. I am excited to see what the future has in hold for me as I continue my journey of learning here at South Alabama.

I wanted to become a teacher because I saw the impact they had on students’ lives. I have never had a bad teacher. My teachers have been nothing but spectacular even now in college. In high school, I always struggled with math. I don’t know why, but I could never make anything but a B in any math classes. When calculus came around, I knew I was in trouble. I had to kick into high gear and tried my hardest to understand every concept we learned. However, despite my efforts, I still felt like I was not good enough, or smart enough. When test came around, I forgot everything I knew. I’d stare at the problems and think to myself, “What am I looking at? Is this Latin?” I was in a constant state of distress over this class. Here’s where it gets better. Coach Agnew, my calculus teacher, was always supportive of me and his other students. He made sure that we felt comfortable with what we were learning and always offered extra help if needed. I remember one semester my dad came up to the school and Coach Agnew had nothing but good things to say about me. He told my dad that I worked hard and was always helping others. This was the real kicker because I was pretty good at working problems that weren’t on a test and could explain how to work a problem to other students who needed help. Because of Coach Agnew, I continued with calculus and ended up making a three on the AP Calculus AB Exam at the end of the year. Coach Agnew was such a memorable person in my life and I want to be that to someone else. I want to be able to push students to their limits because I know they can succeed. I want to be able to help mold the future and be a part of it. Teaching is more than just getting in front of a class and speaking. It’s getting to know your students and help them become better people. Every student that comes through the classroom is going to be affected by you, the teacher. I want to make a change in a student. I want to be somebody they can look up to. This is my goal, and what I think a teacher's responsibility is.

Teaching is a passion of mine, but it is not my only passion. My other passion is photography. I love being able to capture a moment in time and have it saved forever. My love for photography comes from seeing old photographs in history books. All pictures tell a story, and I want to tell my story through every picture I take.

source for all photos: Emily Rodrick