It is coming to the end of the semester and people are stressed, exhausted, and excited. I, on the other hand, am excited for the break but I know that excitement will be very short lived. I am sad about the year coming to the end, and there is one class that has become the root of my happiness this semester. I have truly found my passion. Everything I thought before this semester about my what my passion was has definitely led me to where I am, but was honestly wrong.
A little background on me, I started Kutztown in the Fall 2015 semester as an Art Education major and was not happy. I chalked it up to being a freshman and being stuck in a dingy dorm room (let me tell ya folks, freshman depression is not a joke). At the end of my freshman year, second semester, I picked up another major, social studies secondary education. I instantly felt revived (this major was my second choice when I was debating on college and major in high-school). I had believed that art was my passion but it is not. I love to paint, don’t get me wrong, it is a stress reliever, but I was missing something. My heart was not full.
Enter sophomore year and I am full of piss and vinegar, ready to take on the new challenge. I was pumped to take history classes, and be more involved in the education aspect of things. This semester/year was amazing. I figured out my path for life and knew exactly what I wanted to do, or so I thought. I knew in the back of my head that I was not fulfilled, I was still missing something, but I really just spent all this money? I can’t quit! So I kept chugging along into junior year, and fall 2017 was a really hard semester for me. I was struggling with a super heavy class load and extremely low motivation; I was waiting for that revived feeling to exist again. I battle a lot of emotional and mental struggles until the semester of spring 2018 came along. I was still slightly upset from the previous semester until I got involved in my secondary education class and cooperating teacher. My life was changed, not only within my education, but within my personal thoughts and opinions. I am excited to go to this class, my eyes have been open to problems I did not even know existed.
I was placed to observe in an Allentown public middle school. I was terrified to work in urban education but it turned out to be the best thing ever. I became so involved with the ideas of urban education and the situations that the students are exposed to. I did not want to leave at the end of the day. I knew that my life had just turned a new direction. I did not want to be teaching in a suburban/rural area but I want to help kids that struggle way beyond normal teenage issues.
My passion was no longer art, history, or just regular education (I still love all of these); but my heart lays within urban education. I know I am no where near educated enough to be able to teach students within urban settings. I still have a lot of learning left to do, but I will get there and I cannot wait for that day.