The Importance of Being Lauren

 Teaching is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I have never had a job that makes me feel so happy and fulfilled. My students are amazing, many of them are hard workers, and they each have such vibrant personalities. They inspire me to work hard and become a better teacher. Teaching is also really difficult. It is emotionally taxing, and I am constantly feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work I am expected to do. A few weeks ago I was started feeling overwhelmed by the needs of my students. How can I teach these kids how to read and write? They should have learned these skills forever ago. What can I really do to make a difference? What is going to happen to them when they leave the school next year? Are they going to be able to succeed in high school? I am coming into teaching without any real training on how to teach students with special needs and yet I am expected to write IEP's to help them. I feel like I am causing more harm than helping. I didn't talk t...

 I'm so excited to start teaching next week in New York City. I have been anxiously awaiting my school and subject assignment. Emphasis on "anxiously". You see, I have a problem with relinquishing control. I get anxious when I do not have all the information I may need, or when things do not work out the way I planned, and when I do not have a plan. My experience with Teach for America thus far is teaching me how to recognize this problem, and I am currently working on ways to get better at going with the flow.  It is interesting how lonely the big city can feel with the other 19.49 million other people bustling around me. You can walk for hours and not have a single human interaction if you want. On the other hand, you can make friends in an instant. I have had so many meaningful conversations with strangers at parks, malls, free events and yes, even public transportation.  New York City has provided its residents beautifully kept parks. The parks have become my refuge f...

I have never written down this experience before but I feel like it is time for me to accept the facts so I can move on. In 2014 I was called to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was assigned to labor in the Nevada Las Vegas Mission for a period of 18 months. I was asked to learn Spanish in 6 weeks through an intensive training course in Mexico City. At first I thought it was funny. I had literally prayed the week before that I could go somewhere cold because I was tired of the Houston heat. When filling out the preferences with my Bishop I clearly put that I was not interested in learning a language. I had just failed college Spanish and I knew that there was no way I would be able to learn a new language. So God put me in one of the hottest states and asked me to learn a language that I thought was damn near impossible to learn. As a naturally positive person, I thought about all the people I could help and I accepted the call. I spend 6 long ...