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Hello!

Today I’m sharing my first “Bloganuary” post. Yesterday’s WordPress topic was “what colleges have you attended?”

At first I thought this topic might be boring, but then I realized that I had a journey/story for each part of my college career.

University of Missouri:

University of Missouri (KC):

When I graduated high school, I was really uncertain about where I wanted to go or if I even wanted to leave home.

My “homebody” tendencies started early, and I wasn’t much of a “risk taker.” I was really comfortable living at home, working part-time at a dentist office, and sticking with my surroundings. Ultimately, I decided to stay home and attend UMKC which is a smaller branch of the University of Missouri system. Looking back, I still think this was the right decision for me. I was able to ease into college while being in the comfort of what I already knew at home and work.

That being said, I had always liked the idea of going to a bigger college, and in the spring of my freshman year, I applied to University of Missouri-Columbia. (MIZZOU).

University of Missouri (Columbia):

My sophomore-senior years were spent at MIZZOU. Again, the timing really worked well for me. I’m glad I waited to go until my sophomore year. I lived in the dorm that year, so I was able to experience that. I do wonder if I’d gone to MU my freshman year if I would have joined a sorority, but I did make some great friends living in Jones Hall!

I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. My mom was a middle school Language Arts teacher for over 30 years. Also, I loved to read and always had great English teachers. So, I never once changed my major. I was always going to be a high school English teacher. I couldn’t wrap my brain around working with elementary aged kids (they seem so needy…haha), and I just felt like older kids would be a great fit.

I graduated in four years with a B.S. Secondary Education: English (grades 9-12) in May 2002. I feel very fortunate that I entered adulthood debt free thanks to my parents paying for college (and I helped a bit financially by staying home the first year, earning a few college credits while in high school, and even managing the front desk of my dorm as a junior to have free room and board).

I loved CoMo, and stuck around one more year for my first year of teaching.

Rank 2: University of Missouri

I moved to Kentucky after my second year of teaching and started my first Master’s degree after teaching for three years. In Kentucky, the pay scale is by rank. So, teachers earn more every year with experience, but they also move on the pay scale with their rank. With a B.S., it’s Rank 3 pay. One Master’s degree is Rank 2, and then an additional Master’s gets Rank 1 pay. In my district, there is also Rank 1.2 (PhD).

Anyway, I knew I wanted to start on my Rank 2 before we had kids. I was living in Lexington, but the University of Missouri had an online Master’s with a focus in literacy. Literacy had always been something I was interested in. I also knew that having that focus could be of benefit to me as I grew as a professional. I started that program in the fall of 2005.

All of the courses were online, but I really enjoyed having the flexibility of the program and there was no commute! I think I typically took two classes each semester, but maybe I took three one summer?

In May 2008, I earned my M. Ed., Curriculum and Instruction, Focus: Literacy which got me my Rank 2.

I’m so thankful for that degree because right after that, I took a job as a Literacy Coach in my school building and really enjoyed that work.

Rank 1: University of Louisville

The Literacy Coach position came about because the district I was in was a part of a federal grant called Striving Readers. It was a three year grant with partners at the Collaborative for Teaching and Learning in Louisville and the University of Louisville.

As a part of the grant, I had the opportunity to earn a reading specialist degree which would give me my Rank 1. I delayed the start of this work because Travis and I had just had the kids.

Then, my school was able to add an additional year with the grant. Knowing that it was “now or never” and this degree would be paid for, I realized I should go ahead and take advantage of this opportunity. I started working on the degree when the kids were about a year old…I think!

That time period is a blur, and it was a lot of work…but much like my Rank 2, all the courses were online, and I had such great support from my mentors at CTL and U of L.

I enjoyed working on the courses and completing each Capstone. I’d much rather write a twenty page paper than take a test!

In May of 2012, I earned my M. Ed., Reading Specialist, May, 2012, Rank 1 through U of L.

Again, that degree is one of the main reasons I’m able to work as an interventionist today. Both of my Master’s degrees have really led me to wonderful opportunities, and I appreciate that I’ve been able to work in my school in a capacity besides as a traditional classroom teacher.

I know college isn’t for everyone, but I always say that no one can take away your education. Also, through the years, these degrees have enhanced my knowledge and expertise as well as allowed me to better support my family and my future.

So–those are the colleges I attended.

I’m still a big MIZZOU fan, but I can’t cheer for the U of L Cards in my house…haha

I will cheer for the CATS with the rest of the fam.