I have wanted to become a teacher from the time I first stepped into a public school.

I was
homeschooled for all of elementary and middle school, but I attended Big Rapids High School
for the entirety of high school. The public schooling system was a whole new world to me, but
my teachers played a vital role in welcoming me and helping me adapt to the new atmosphere.
The kindness they showed me has been my main motivator to eventually become a teacher and
help guide students in similar situations as myself at that age.

During my senior year at BRHS, I was enrolled in a course specifically for students who had an
interest in becoming a future teacher. This course placed us into various classrooms throughout
the Big Rapids school district to serve as teaching assistants and gain some experience of what
being in the classroom was like. I was placed into three very different classroom environments
that gave me a wide range of experience. These classrooms included a freshman level U.S.
history class, a class for high school level students with IEP and 504 plans, and a seventh grade
math class. Each level had specific skills that I took away from my time there, such as the
importance of patience, keys to grading effectively, and how to gain mutual respect in a
classroom.

The main objective for my career as a teacher is to mold students into functioning members of
society while providing them with the skills they need to contribute to their community.
Specifically with a social studies degree; I want to show my students the important role they play
in shaping our future as a country with their civil responsibilities. Not only will I be educating
students on where we have come from as a country and as a world, but I will be responsible for
showing them where we can go if they make educated and informed civil decisions.

Since my first days of high school I have been involved in my community through a variety of
ways. I have been involved in 4-H, student council, NHS, FCA, local youth groups, multiple
sports teams at the high school and collegiate level, and by serving as a volunteer umpire for
the local little league. I am currently serving as an assistant baseball coach for the Big Rapids
Varsity baseball team and as the tournament director for the local Quad City Storm summer
baseball program. These experiences have helped me fall in love with the Big Rapids
community and have allowed me to utilize my talents to further enhance our area. These
experiences have shaped me into the man I am today, and I look forward to continually giving
back to the community that I love in the classroom.