My first day was great

My first day of school was great! The lunch room was not really loud and I went to the gym. We walked around when the music started and then, when the music stopped, we had to go back to where we were.

What was your favorite thing you did today?

Math. And, there was a purple beach chair that I got to sit in. It had my nametag on it. There were real chairs and baskets that had a cushion you could sit on, and there’s just a cushion you can sit on.

Can you choose a different chair tomorrow?

I hope! I want to sit on the basket with the cushion on it.

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I like to have fun

I like to have fun. It doesn’t matter what I do, just have fun and be positive about it. Everybody has hard things that they go through and struggle with, but you’ve got to make the best of it. Just be positive.

I graduated from Tallwood in 2011. I graduated in 2015 from ODU and got my master’s degree in 2017. This is brand new for me. My interest in teaching started with a summer camp I worked at. That really got me volunteering with kids, seeing how they work, how they grow, building relationships with them and having fun. They make you feel young again. I’m still young but it gives you a different perspective on life because they haven’t experienced different things that we all have. I just enjoy that youth and how they enjoy everything that they do. That really spurred me to teaching.

At the end of the year, what do hope your third-graders will take away from your class?

Have fun. In everything you do, you can make it fun. Enjoy learning because you’re always learning. I’m learning. I’m learning now. I’m going to be learning this first year. You’re always going to learn, so just have fun with it.

What do you hope you’ll take away from your first year teaching?

I hope I survive.

I want to see that I made a difference…in any kid, just one kid. I want to say, ‘Man, I really had an impact on this one kid. He or she is totally different than when they came in.’ That’s what I want to see. I’m excited. Nervous, but excited.

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I love smiling

For sixth-graders, you really shouldn’t worry about middle school. It’s not that hard. I was bullied in elementary school and when I got to sixth grade my bullies were all like, ‘Hey, let’s be friends.’ We made up. It was kind of like a truce. There are always going to be people you don’t get along with, but here, people are inviting. They welcome you with open arms. It’s a great environment.

I think it’s important to think of what other kids feel and what may be going on with them. Be nice to someone. Share a smile. Being mean to someone really never helps anybody.

I like helping people. I want to be an orthodontist. At first I wanted to be a vet but I couldn’t take watching animals get harmed. Orthodontists help kids with smiles. I love smiling. I love when people smile.

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Facilitator of learning

I wanted to come back to teach at the beach and I was so thrilled when the opportunity here arose. I’ve always wanted to teach third grade so I was really excited that that worked out, too. I did student teach in third grade and I loved the age group. They’re very similar in the capacity of second grade and fourth grade where they’re still very sweet and they’re independent. They kind of get humor a little more and I like to joke around with my students once I get to know them. I just love how excited they are to be here and their desire to learn. Mostly, I like to give them independent things to do and let them discover on their own. They’re finally at that age where they can really explore that more and do that. I’m really working to be a facilitator of their learning this year. I’m hoping they can be little discoverers and they’ll be the teachers in a way. I find it just to be fun. It’s a fun age.

I always get asked, ‘If you could do something other than teaching what would you do?’ I have no idea. I have yet to find an answer to that question. I really don’t know what else I would do that I would be as happy with. It just feels natural. It makes me happy.

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I like to fly fish

When I’m not at school I like to fly fish.

How did you start fly fishing?

I just got tired of regular fishing and wanted to try something new. I went to Bass Pro, got a pole and got into it. There are tons of ponds a minute away from my house so I just skate over there.

What’s the secret to fly fishing?

Patience. It’s really frustrating at times. Sometimes you throw something at the fish and they don’t bite it. You throw another thing at the fish and, by the time you finally get the right fly, that’s what it’s called, you’re out of line. It just takes patience. That’s all I can say about that.

I’d like to be a fly guide when I grow up and take people out and fish. My dad’s in the Coast Guard so I kind of take after him. We fly fish together.

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Starting an environment club

We have so many cool opportunities here. I was thinking about starting an environment club. I just feel like there is a lot we could do here and help the environment, maybe something with the Chesapeake Bay.

I was volunteering at the food bank earlier and all the old vegetables that don’t make the cut just get thrown into the trash. I was thinking there might be a way we could partner up with them and, for the garden that’s being built here, we could try to compost that.

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Middle school isn’t scary

This school year I’m taking my four high school credit classes: geometry, earth science, keyboarding, keyboarding applications and Spanish I. Then I have English and social studies.

My favorite subject is math, definitely. Any type of math. I love working everything out on paper. It makes me feel like I can solve anything because solving a math equation is like solving a huge puzzle and when most people solve puzzles they feel accomplished. I feel accomplished when I can solve a hard math equation.

Do you have advice for incoming sixth-graders?

Just don’t worry. It’s all going to fix itself. Middle school isn’t scary. It can’t bite you.

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I love it here

This is my second year with the school system. I get to work with an amazing support staff team, my administrative team, all the students and the parents. It’s a great environment here. I love it here. I think it’s the best school at the beach.

The kids love being here. They don’t want to miss school. They get sad when their parents pull them out for a doctor’s appointment and they ask, “Am I coming back?” You can see the excitement and thrill in their eyes coming every day to school. It makes me happy to be here.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work?

I have a 3-year-old son. I love looking at life through his eyes, going outside, going to the beach and relaxing with family and friends.

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I’m part of the student athletic training club

I recently just changed up what I want to do when I’m older. At first it was definitely sports/physical therapy in a professional setting, either in college or at the NBA. Then I realized that wasn’t the type of lifestyle I wanted to have because I want to have a family and still be involved and still do things other than being at a practice and watching other people. I decided on occupational therapy which is really interesting to me because psychology is one of my favorite classes in school. I took regular pysch and AP pysch. It’s something I’m really interested in and I also like helping people. That’s really important to me. Everyone deserves to be helped and some people can’t help themselves so they need someone to support them and help guide them. That’s something I’m really passionate about. I’ve gotten some training in the physical therapy department because I’m part of the student athletic training club. I started that my sophomore year. It’s a ton of fun. I love doing it. I love the trainers at the school, Ms. Drago and Ms. Kate. They’re absolutely amazing. They’re the best people. They really taught me and helped me figure out what I want to do and helped guide me through what colleges I’m going to look at, where I want to be at when I’m their age. I really appreciate everything they’ve done.

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Pasta and ice cream

I like to play video games and play with my toys and eat and eat and eat and eat some more.

What do you like to eat?

My favorite food in kindergarten used to be pastina but now it’s Drumsticks, which are ice cream on a cone with nuts on top and there is hard chocolate that you can bite. There’s also chocolate inside and there is caramel, but that’s like another flavor. There’s chocolate, then there’s vanilla and there’s caramel.

Which is your favorite?

Vanilla and then chocolate and then, well, I don’t really like caramel. I don’t like it at all.

You said you eat and eat and eat some more. What else do you like?

I still eat pasta a lot. I eat yogurt and fruit. I eat Rice Krispies treats. I love them! I like to bake them. They taste better when they are baked.

I like things that involve international diplomacy

I like things that involve international diplomacy, volunteering and community service. Two years ago I went to the Sister Cities International Youth Leadership Summit and, ever since then, I’ve kept going and I love it. I also became one of the youth board of directors for Sister Cities Virginia Beach, so that’s kept me involved and that’s one area I’m looking at going into for a career.

Why do you think community service is important?

I think it’s important for people to serve because it’s your community and you’re also showing that to the youth who will be your future leaders. If you partake in helping your community, they will, too.

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Have a good support group

My advice for incoming high school students would probably be to always stay on top of your school work and have a good support group or group of friends that helps you out.

Have you found that yourself?

My friends always push me to get involved. Like Successful Stallions, I got involved in that because one of my friends was in it last year so she told me about it. We always help each other: do stuff outside of school, with our school work, studying and stuff like that.

Have you thought about what you might like to do when you’re older?

I think when I grow up I’d like to be a civil rights lawyer. I want to help, it sounds cliche but, make the world a better place. You know, just stop a lot of the social injustices that I see in the news now. I’d like to do that.

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I like to play my video games

During the summer I like to play my video games, watch TV, read, go to Ocean Breeze, go to Water Country USA and go camping.

And I forgot, I’m going to have a playdate with somebody and we’re going to bring all our Hot Wheels cars and I’m going to put some slime on the tracks for a trap.

Do you think your friend will have a trap?

Yes. He has a mousetrap. But my car is super-duper fast. It’s fast as a blink.

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I like being part of a team

I’m going to be in fourth grade. I’m excited about meeting new friends and being happy there because I like writing and reading.

Going to school makes you happy.

Yeah. It’s really fun because you get to do different things. You never know what’s coming at you.

And, I really like to play softball. I never thought of being catcher and then I started to like it. In the second season of fall ball I was all time catcher.

I’m going to do fall ball again. I like being part of a team. We just stick together and it’s like family where you have someone you can trust and you can feel special about something. Even when you’re different, you can still feel special.

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I’ve always been interested in astronomy

I’m planning to study astronautical engineering. I’ll probably go into the private space industry. Working for NASA is a goal of mine — as an astronaut would be nice — but at the same time, as a general scientist or engineer would be great, too.

What sparked that interest?

Stars. I’ve always been interested in astronomy. A couple of summers ago I went to the Governor’s School, the summer residential one. I went to the Math, Science and Tech one over at Lynchburg College in 2015 and I did the astronomy course there. Generally, I’ve just been interested in astronomy most of my life. I’ve kind of followed that. I’ve also been taking engineering courses. I took the AutoCAD course back in my freshman year and the next one. I had engineering and design experience at the ATC. I did three years of that and being capable in math kind of pushed me toward that whole area.

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My favorite subjects are reading and science

My favorite subjects are reading and science. I like reading because if you want to be an author one day, you can read books to find out how they do it. I like science because I like experiments and I like dealing with substances you can touch and feel. I am interested in being a scientist one day because you invent stuff that hasn’t been around. My mom says I am a great artist. I said that I’m going to sell art to get money so I can do science and also give probably half the money to my family.

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Making an impact

The thing that I love the most is teaching. So when it comes to what makes me happy, it’s this and making an impact with every student. You’re not just teaching a class, you’re teaching every student. They all have different needs. They all want different things but they all want love. They want to know that they are cared for. You have to differentiate that between the students. It’s one of my favorite things to do. It’s what makes me happy. Even with the tough things in life, when I come to work, it’s the best thing for me.

What do you like to do when you’re not teaching?

I’m always hanging out with my siblings. We’re really, really, really, really close. There are seven of us. The four boys sing together. We sing and come up with music and play. We just do it for fun. It’s something we like to do.

What about your sisters?

The sisters don’t sing. They try.