Ready, Set, Go!

Hey y'all! I'm Lacey Mullinax and I am 20 years old. I was born and raised in the peach state by my two amazing parents, Todd and Shelly. I am the older sister of my brother Matthew(18). I am such a family person and an animal lover. God is number one in my life and I wouldn't be here today without God or my amazing family. I chose Gardner-Webb because my dad is an Alumni who played football and graduated with a Bachelors Degree to be a Physical Education Teacher. I fell in love with Gardner-Webb on my first visit and decided that I wanted to cheer here and major in elementary education.

Being an elementary teacher has always been something that I have wanted to do. I love children and being able to give back to others. When starting my education classes I knew I was where I wanted to be. There have been plenty of troubles and hard times but I know that it will all be worth it in the end. The semester has already started off at a fast pace but I am ready to hit the ground running (even though I hate running). There is a lot on my plate with school work, basketball season and competition season but this is something that I will have to take one bite at a time. 

I found an article, Gifts That Last a Lifetime, written by Suzie Boss. This article talks about four different types of gifts that students should receive in the classroom. The first one is the gift of Joy. In this article, Suzie mentions a quote from a Global Teacher Prize Winner, Nancie Atwell. In the quote Nancie mentions this, "Kids are intrinsically motivated if they love the books they're reading, if they love the topics they're researching, if they love the poetry and essays they're writing because the subjects intrigue them." This is the gift of joy for students. When a student truly enjoys what they are learning and doing in the classroom, the joy of learning will stay with the student for a lifetime. The second gift is the gift of optimism. Suzie tells about a teacher who always writes positive notes to students who seem to be having a rough day or struggling with something school related or at home. He finds that this can help a students attitude and their learning experience in his classroom. The third gift is the gift of empowerment. From the article, I read that two third-grade teachers where asked by their students, "Why doesn't Rhode Island have an official state insect?" The teachers decided to let the students write and convince the state legislature that the endangered American burying beetle should be their state insect. With the teachers allowing their students to do this, it gives students the ability to branch out and be engaged with the community. It also gives the students a chance to make their own decisions and make a difference. The last gift is the gift of hope. This gift might be one of the most important gifts that a teacher can give a student. Students need the support and encouragement from their teachers so they can have hope for their future and be successful.

Being a future teacher, I hope that one day I can give these gifts to my students. I plan to make my classroom a fun and safe environment where students are successful and strive to be the best that they can be.