Practice Blog Post

• Who I am 
• Why I chose to become an Educator
• 21st Century Educators
• Passions of mine

I'm Johanna Logan. I'm in my Junior year at the University of South Alabama majoring in Elementary Education. For the past two years I've worked at Woodridge Learning Center as a teacher. My first year there I was the 2K teacher, and for about the last year I've been one of three teachers in our baby room. I'm a mother to a big fat fluffy orange cat named Clarke, as weird as it may sound he literally gets treated like a child. I've lived here in Mobile my whole life, and I love it! Nothing beats being 45 minutes away from a beach! I chose to attend USA mainly because it was a local hometown college, I find comfort in knowing that home is right down the road. I'm a pretty crafty person if I do say so myself, my new found craft addiction is antiquing furniture. I have yet to do a piece on my own, but I've helped my mom redo many pieces that she has sold. It's a neat experience to see something old become new again.

 My spoiled rotten feline, Clarke. 

Education is in my genes! My mother owned an inner city child care facility for almost 15 years that me and my sister basically grew up being a part of. For as long as I can remember I've always loved to learn, more importantly teach. I remember as a child in class always being the first person to volunteer to help a classmate who couldn't quite figure out what it was we were doing. I get some mushy feel good satisfaction out of knowing I helped contribute to someones success or achievement.  

Education today is far more technologically based than it was when I was a child, and especially more advanced than it was years before that. Today kids are learning interactively through things such as the SMART board, iPads and other learning tablets. It's astonishing to know that a child at such a young age can navigate an iPad easier than I can. With technology becoming such a huge part of learning now, I'm eager to see what all will be being used to help children interactively learn when I start teaching. 

Sunset from the top of Mt. San Jacinto - Palm Springs, California.

My most significant passion is traveling. I've been to several parts of California, Washington D.C., Georgia, New York, Mexico & Jamaica.  Oh what I would do if I could travel the rest of the world. It's one thing to read about a certain place or thing or to see pictures of it, but to actually experience it in person is so rewarding.
I also enjoy my job, I love going into work each day and being greeted with smiling faces. Being a care giver to infants is such an awing experience. From first foods, to first words, all the way to first steps. It's an overwhelming joy!
One thing I wish to get better at is probably being more on top of my reading. I use to love it as a kid, and as I grew older it was a hobby that got pushed to the side as new ones came along. I want the children of my future classroom to be able to learn from me the importance of reading, and not see it as a struggle or a bore.
                                                                                                                                                            

                                       

Jacobs first steps!

I hope to be the kind of teacher to my students that my teachers were to me, if not better. My Kindergarten teacher is one of the many who have inspired me to follow this dream of mine. Even after 14 years we still keep in touch and she continuously reminds me to never give up. Being a teacher who leaves a life long impact on a student is possible. Never give up on your dreams!