First and foremost, I would like to thank the Van Wert County Foundation for supporting my college education for the past four years. The money that this organization has provided has greatly helped me with college expenses. College is a necessary, demanding, and expensive step in a person’s life, and I am thrilled to have successfully completed this trip with the help of the Van Wert County Foundation. In this report, I would like to share how I have spent my past for years in college and my future plans.

As a freshman in college, I attended Bowling Green State University, where I maintained a 4.0 throughout the year. After completing my freshman year, I decided to continue my education at Ohio University pursuing a Bachelors Degree in Adolescent Young Adult Mathematics Education. I currently have a GPA of 3.54 and have been on the dean’s list every quarter but one.

College has been a wonderful experience. I have had several fond memories that I will never forget and have experienced several hard times, which only made me a stronger person. My experiences have developed me into a mature woman, who I am proud to be.

I have maintained a job at Nelson Dining Hall for all three years of attending Ohio University. My first two years, I have worked fifteen plus hours a week as a server, a dish cleaner, and a checker. This year, I was promoted to student manager working twenty plus hours a week. My people skills have improved greatly through this job because I get to interact with different kinds of people every day. I enjoy working this job and believe I have been a good role model and leader.

When I am not working or taking classes, I enjoy hanging out with my friends, playing sports, and exercising at Ping, Ohio University’s recreational center. For two quarters, I was able to participate in intramurals, once on a softball team and once on a volleyball team. My softball team was very successful. We made it to the championship game where we lost by only a few runs.

Taking classes and working throughout the past four years has kept me from having time to join student organizations at Ohio University; however, I do not believe this has hindered my capabilities of being an excellent teacher. I believe I have learned valuable information through my education classes and field experiences. During my winter and summer breaks, I was able to find time in between my working schedule to volunteer as an assistant softball coach, a math tutor, and a middle school teacher’s assistant. I believe that my experience of helping at my former middle school has taught me a great deal about being a teacher. There, I experienced teacher responsibilities like grading papers, preparing lessons, teaching students with exceptionalities, and team teaching. I also observed teaching strategies of six different teachers. I learned what works in the classroom and what does not.

Upon graduation in June 2007, I would like to maintain a position as a mathematics teacher at the middle school or high school level. I would like to teach in a rural area, and provide my assistance as a softball or volleyball coach. After holding a teaching position, I will work on earning my master’s degree in higher level mathematics.

Math teachers can be found in schools in all parts of the country. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, secondary school teachers held 1.1 million jobs in 2004, and the demand will be increasing greatly within the next 10 years. The American Association for Employment in Education’s 2007 Job Search Handbook for Educators mentions that Mathematics Education is the second highest field with considerable shortage. On a 5.0 scale, Mathematics Education received an average of 4.34 with each region of the United States ranging from a 4.08 in the Rocky Mountains Region to a 5.0 in Hawaii. The Southeast Region and the Great Lakes Region, where I would most like to work, received a 4.61 and 4.25 respectively.

In 2004, teachers in all fifty states and the District of Columbia received an average beginning salary of $31,704 with the average salary being $46,597 (AAEE Handbook 2007). Teaching is not one of the best paying jobs, but I do not need a lot of money to make me happy. As long as I am doing something that I enjoy, I will be happy.

Since I am from a small rural town that is currently having employment issues, it is not likely that I will find a job near my family. I am, however, willing to move in order to maintain a teaching position. Teaching is my passion, and I will do want I can to find a math position and become a softball or volleyball coach. I would also like to get married and someday start a family of my own.