My name is April Jones. I live in Holden, Utah- a town of 386 people just north of Fillmore, Utah. It is a big change from growing up in Salt Lake, Hurricane and our time spent in Logan when my husband attended Utah State.
I am a mother of 3- Jake is 13, Emma is 11, Danny is 9- and have been married to my best friend for 14 1/2 years. He graduated from USU in with a degree in Wildlife Science in 2008 and has been the Conservation Officer (Game Warden) in Millard County ever since.
I actually have too many interests and hobbies which can cause a fair amount of stress- I just want to do it all. I am a seamstress and do much of the sewing needed in Millard County. I am an artist and have done some work for the Division of Wildlife and for the Utah Fallen Officers Association. I love camping, cooking, hiking and running- although health problems have prevented that for the last 16 months- and just spending time with my family in general.
I went back to work 3 1/2 years ago once my children were in school full time and I had a heart surgery that literally saved my life. I worked as an Instructional Assistant in the Special Education program at Fillmore Middle School. Up until that point I had convinced myself that I didn't need to go back to school, but after one year working I decided I wanted my own classroom. I hadn't attended college since 2000, but decided to go back and finish my degree. I originally started a degree in math and physics, but was unable to finish the physics portion through the USU extension in Delta. I definitely knew I wanted my major to be Math Education and set out to complete a minor in English Teaching when I was told that was the next biggest demand in the district. This was something that didn't really excite me when I started out, but as I spent more time working with English teachers and worked through the program at USU I began to realize that I love English as much as I love math! I am proud to say that I will be certified to teach math and English at the high school level!
I'm not entirely sure how to define my discipline. I have had people respond in different ways to the way I feel about teaching. I want to teach KIDS, using math and English is how I plan to do that. While I love my areas of discipline, I love the students more and feel that I have something to share with them that no one else can. I believe that they are worth my time and I believe that I can work with them in the areas of math and English literacy.
Literacy is the language of understanding and education. It is an art- one that is becoming harder and harder to find as time goes on! I love the idea that English is the tool I can use to increase understanding in math literacy. Math has it's own language that often is misunderstood. Teachers often think they are doing the students a favor by "dumbing down" the literacy of math- and English for that matter. We focus on cute rhymes and catchy rules rather than really understanding terms and building the correct foundation for learning.
I am excited for this class and so excited and scared to student teach in the fall! I feel that the SCED program, my experiences in my major and minor content areas, and my opportunity to work in a Middle School setting have provided the groundwork that I need for my upcoming experiences.
Hi April!
ReplyDeleteI'm happy that the life-saving heart surgery worked, which will enable you to contribute to the lives of your future middle school students. Thoreau said, "To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts." I tried to keep that as my mantra when I was a middle school teacher because I wanted to affect the quality of my students' day for the better.
I actually think it's great that you are person focused, not subject focused. Instead of seeing young people as "good math students" or "average English students," we can recognize that they have many other identities and issues going on in their lives, and we can relate to them on those different levels as well. Freire talks about "humanizing" education--that is, treating students like human beings. Sometimes I think it's easy to get stressed out and think of students in terms of the scores that they get on end-of-year-tests, but we miss the point when we start to see young people that way.
Anyway, thanks for a great first posting, and I look forward to more as the semester progresses!
Hey April! You totally rock :-) I already knew how busy you can get, but the piano as well. I'm so jealous of you right now. I attempted to teach myself when I was younger but teachers are around for a reason. I'm so glad that I have gotten the chance to know you through school and all your talents are amazing! I really meant my first comment YOU ROCK!! I'm so glad we get to have a few more classes together.
ReplyDeleteMy eyes weren't good enough to read your post, something about the colors, but then I highlighted with the mouse and was able to read it. I can relate to your experience as an instructional assistant. I am currently working in special education with students that have disabilities which are severe and profound. I am glad to be doing something teaching related but those positions are part-time without benefits so being an instructional assistant is transitional for most people. I was interested to read your blog since math and English seem like different worlds, especially in high school. I like what you said about teaching kids and that the subjects you teach are just a means to do that. I loved reading at a young age in spite of school and did extremely well in English but did not enjoy it until a 12th grade teacher helped change my experience. She undid much of the damage that had been done by previous teachers. I think having a background in math and English will give you a unique perspective and students will respond positively to your teaching. Math is at the heart of music as well as various poetic forms but most people don't make those connections. I think it would be interesting to learn math from an English teacher and vice versa.
ReplyDeleteDaniel, thank you for mentioning the color. I thought I had it fixed, but obviously I didn't double check! Everyone, thank you for the feedback and kind comments. I appreciate your time and willingness to reply.
DeleteApril, I really enjoyed reading your blog post. 2 out of my five sisters and my dad have had heart surgery, it is definitely a roller coaster ride! I was very intrigued by your comments about coming to love English just as much as you love math. I was majoring in chemistry and had to switch to math (long story), so it makes me interested if there is an English loving person just waiting to come out in me as well! Looking forward to reading more! -Molly Gorringe
ReplyDeleteHi April! I feel like we have a few bonds. First, the whole English teaching thing...I love your approach to teaching kids. I share your philosophy of working with kids and using your disciplines to do so. I know that there is a shortage of good teachers who genuinely care about the students, so I am glad to see that there is a great one working her way through the ranks. Second, I also lived in Millard County for a whopping 13 years. I moved to Delta in 1998 and stayed there as long as I could stand the in-laws; !3 years is apparently my limit:) I miss the laid-back, small-town atmosphere of Millard County, but I have also learned that there are awesome people all over the state. And third, running...just kidding! If I am running, it is because one of my children is in mortal danger, something bigger and scarier than I am is chasing me, or the ice cream truck is rolling through the neighborhood again. I am glad to have you back in some of my classes and look forward to getting to know you better.
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