Getting to Know Me
An Introduction to Me
Hello! My name is Audrey Ewers, I am sure that in these coming months you will get to know me well as you read through these posts, but for now a short introduction about myself will have to do. I am a pre-service teacher pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science in Early Childhood Education at the University of Missouri-Columbia, along with a double minor in Psychology and Women and Gender Studies. I hope to teach abroad with a humanitarian organization after I graduate. If I get this job I will be working with women, children, and LGBTQ+ folk that have been pulled out of abusive or dangerous environments, and through education and counseling, help them reintegrate into a new safe and welcoming home. After I do this for two years I plan to return to the United States and teach the 3rd grade while slowly pursuing a PHD in Child Psychology. I realize that this is more of a five year plan and not a conventional ‘about me’ introduction, but that was not a mistake. In order to truly know me, you must know that I am passionate about helping others and I am and will remain dedicated to this cause. I would rather you know what I plan to do, who I plan to help, and who I plan to become rather than rattle on about my favorite color (i.e. green) or song for several lines. To know me is to know what I care about, because that is who I am.
I believe in every child’s potential to grow. Whenever I see a student I see not only who they are in that moment, but also the person they could be in the future. I believe children are the most innocent things on this planet, they come into classroom’s with bright eyes and open minds. I believe that it is my responsibility as an Educator to foster every child’s desire to grow and learn. I believe it is my job to make sure I have done everything I can to help my students before they leave my classroom each day, week, and school year. Most importantly, I believe every child has the potential to be a star. It doesn't matter where a student is from, what they look like, what level of knowledge they have upon entering my class, every single one of them has the capacity to learn, grow, and be successful. As Educators we are not defined by our own success, but by the success of our students. I believe every student has what it takes to succeed when they enter my classroom and it is my job to give them the support, resources, and guidance they need in order to reach their goals.
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My journey to becoming an Education major is actually a little silly when I think about it. I always knew I was good with kids, I always knew I loved being in a classroom environment from observing my Aunt at her school, but I think for a while I did not think it was a “good enough” career for me. I, like so many others, believed that being an education major was easy, it wasn’t something that smart students did. I also struggled with the stereotypes that come along with being a woman who wants to teach, when as a feminist women going into STEM and business are so prevalent now. Truthfully, I didn’t want to admit it was what I wanted for a long time. It was not until I did student teaching that I realized it was without a doubt my future. When I stepped into the classroom, an awkward high school senior trying to figure things out, I was so nervous I would mess up, say something wrong, teach these kids something that I could not unteach. In this bizarre moment of anxiety and fear, I realized how important good teacher’s are, how well planned, how structured, how particular, how smart educators have to be. In this moment of sheer panic I saw what it means to be an educator through the eyes of a teacher, not through the biased lens of society, and I knew I was worth nothing less because that is what I wanted to do. Truthfully, my dream job as a kid was to be a superhero, not because I wanted super powers, but because I wanted to save the world. As I got older I realized a single person cannot save the world, or even change it much, but being a pre-service teacher has given me back my hope. As an individual I cannot change the world, but as a teacher I can change the worlds of my student’s. That is why I decided to be a teacher, because I can finally be the superhero I always wanted to be.
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