Running Head: AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY 1

Autobiographical Essay

Mellissa Marriee Carlquist

Instructor: Shane Brown

College of Southern Idaho

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INTRODUCTION

One day, I hope to become a teacher. One day, I hope to change the world. Maybe it will not be

the whole world, but the world of a student. I want to teach and get others excited about learning.

I want to make a difference in someone’s life the way I have had teachers make a difference in

mine. I know teaching is hard, stressful, time consuming, and tiring, but to me it is worth. To me,

seeing a student understand a concept they have been struggling with is worth having to repeat it

a few extra times. To me, teaching is the greatest occupation anyone could ever have.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

As a little girl, I loved to learn new things. I was always daydreaming, lost in a book somewhere

in a far away land. I loved to try new things but hated failing at them. I was very competitive

especially when it came to academics. I had to be at the top of my class. I had to be the smartest

kid in the school. I had to have straight A’s to make my parents and teachers proud of me. This

all changed as I grew up, moved to bigger towns and bigger schools, and became friends with

people that weren’t always the greatest influences on me, especially when it came to academics.

Growing up, I went to elementary school in a little town called Almo in Idaho. It was a two-room

school house. It went up to high school, but eventually, was dropped to just kindergarten through

third grade. There were four kids in my grade, and we were the best of friends. We challenged

each other physically and mentally, we supported each other, and we were inseparable. I was

always the top of my class, and eventually even got held up a grade in reading. I did second

grade reading work while in first grade and did first grade math because that was not my strong

suite.

When I graduated third grade, it was time for us to move schools. Our class got moved to Raft

River Elementary, which was about an hour or two away from where we all lived. The bus ride
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was so long. We met other kids in our grade and soon grew apart. I was still top of my class, but

it took a lot more effort because there were so many other kids to compete with. I struggled a

little bit with my academic identity because I was no longer my teacher’s favorite student, and

there were so many more challenges with all the new kids we met.

My family moved to Declo when I was in fifth grade. That was a hard school to attend. Everyone

in Declo is very tight knit and related. We were outsiders to them. Again, I struggled with my

identity. I hated going to school and no longer had the strong desire to learn like I had had

before. In sixth grade, we moved to Burley. This was an even bigger school! I made friends quite

quickly, but knew, I would never be at the top of my class again. I was in the average and honor

tiered classes for the rest of my educational career until I went to college. I graduated from

Burley Senior High School in May 2013. I was not valedictorian nor salutatorian, but I did try

my best for most of my high school career.

I decided to go to the College of Southern Idaho for school. I had no idea what I wanted to be. I

thought maybe a nurse, but I don’t like blood. I thought a psychologist would be cool, so I stuck

with that for a long time until I served my mission from May 2014-November 2015. I am a

member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or Mormons as everyone knows us

by. I served in the Antofagasta, Chile mission Spanish speaking. I knew no Spanish when I went,

and it took me about three months before I really had the language down. As a missionary, we

teach people the gospel. I fell in love with teaching people. I knew that I needed to go to school

to be a teacher.

When I got home, I got married and moved to Hazelton, Idaho. I began working as a

paraeducator at the Valley School District. I worked with elementary kids. I pulled them out to

help them with different areas they were struggling with, I worked in Special Ed a little bit, and I
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also taught ESL. This confirmed my desire to be a teacher. I loved working with those kids and

listening to what they had to say. Yes, my patience was tried time and time again, but I decided it

was worth it. I had to quit working because I had my son in March 2017. I still go and visit my

kids that I taught, I translate for parent teacher conference, and I am on their substitute list.

I am now a sophomore at the College of Southern Idaho as an Education Major. I will graduate

in the Fall 2018 and begin applying for Idaho State University and enter in to their bachelor’s

program. I love teaching, I love influencing people’s lives, and I love making a difference. I

know that the best way I can do all those things is to become a teacher.

WORK SECTION

I haven’t had very many jobs in my young life. My dad owns a steakhouse in Burley, Idaho, so I

have worked there almost my whole life. I started as a dishwasher when I was 8 years old and

moved up from there. I became a hostess when I was 14 years old. I greeted and sat people as

they came in. When I was 16, I became a waitress. This has always been one of my favorite

things to do. I love talking to and meeting new people. We had people come in from all over the

world; England, South Africa, and even Australia. When I got to be a good waitress, I became

the head waitress and a server trainer. I trained the new waitresses that came in. I did orientation

with them, went over paperwork, and showed them the ropes, so to speak, of how to be a

steakhouse server. There was a lot of speculation because I was usually a lot younger than the

people working for my dad. But, I gave them respect and in return received their respect. The

restaurant is a fast-paced business but was so fun. I learned lot of patience, quick thinking skills,

I had to memorize the menu and drinks as well, and I oversaw others and had to make sure they

were doing their jobs well.

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For a summer in 2016, I worked at A+ Solutions in Twin Falls and Burley, Idaho. My job was to

work with special needs kids and adults. This was a hard and emotional job. I had never done

anything like this before, and I got really attached to the people I worked with. One boy I worked

with was 18 years old. I was to help him learn the basics of how to survive on his own. We

learned how to cross the street and look for cars, count money and make change, and how to

react in different situations. With this job, I learned more about caring for people but not getting

attached or emotionally involved with them and their situations. This was hard because I am a

person that tries to help everyone the best that I can. I learned that it is important to be a friend

but to also have a professional relationship with people or kids that you work with.

My very favorite job I had was working as a para educator at Valley School in Hazelton, Idaho. I

worked there from August 2017-March 2018. I quit because I had my son in March, and I

decided I wanted to be a stay at home mom. I had many different roles as a para. I worked in the

first-grade classroom during reading time. I was in charge of my own group where we would

read stories, work on writing, play games with spelling words, and much more. I worked in the

third-grade classrooms during math. I would help the lower tiered kids with their math and try to

explain it a little bit more to them. I also had three of my own ELL classes. This was challenging

but also very fun. I am bilingual and had a lot of compassion for these kids that were learning

English as a second language. I understand what it is like to learn a new language and the

difficulty that it is. I learned how to look at things in different ways, try to see them as they

would, and I learned how to explain different key points to the kids so that they would

understand them. I loved teaching elementary kids. It was so fun and challenging. I came home

exhausted every day, but very satisfied. I felt like I was making a difference. That is one of the
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reasons I decided that’s what I wanted to do full time. I love working with kids, and I love

making a difference in their lives.

SERVICE/EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

The greatest service I have ever done is serving a full time, 18-month mission, for The Church of

Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I served in the Chile, Antofagasta mission, which is the

northern most part of Chile. The Atacama Desert is actually the driest desert in the world. I loved

my mission and am so grateful for the opportunity I had to serve. It was so hard. I had never

learned Spanish before, and now, I was expected to teach the gospel in that language. I was so

scared, but I knew I would be able to do it. I lived in Mexico City for 6 weeks where I was taught

the basics of Spanish. 6 weeks is not long enough to really learn it, but after that, I was shipped

off to Chile. My first companion was from Ecuador, and she knew no English. It was a sink or

swim situation for me. I was with her for 3 months, and in that 3 months, I learned so much

about the Chilean people and their culture, the actual Spanish language, and that I really liked

being able to teach people. We did English classes on Wednesday nights that I was in charge of.

It was so fun and very challenging. I had to teach them the basics of English, while speaking in

Spanish, and really simplifying the words I was using.

During my 18 months, I lived in 4 different cities, had 8 different companions (only 4 spoke

English), and taught many different people. I learned how to simplify what I was talking about,

so they would understand. I learned how to teach and different techniques to use. I learned a lot

of patience, compassion, and understanding. I also learned a lot about myself and who I wanted

to be when I got home. It really was at this point in my life that I knew I needed to change my

major to teaching. I knew that I would understand the ELL kids in a way that not many teachers

would. I knew that I would be able to change the lives of the kids I taught. To me, teaching is a
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gift and a calling. It is not for the faint of heart, and I know it will be challenging. But, those

Chilean people taught me that I can do and be anything.

REASONS FOR CHOOSING EDUCATION AS A CAREER

Growing up and going through school, I considered many different career options. In my first-

grade portfolio, I wrote that I wanted to be a cowgirl and a mom. (I am currently both of those

things). In Jr High, I wanted to be a waitress at my dad’s restaurant forever. In high school, I

wanted to be a NICU nurse or doctor. My parents had just adopted twins, and they stayed in the

newborn intensive care unit for about 8 months. I was fascinated by what the nurses were doing

and how they were taking care of them. I loved the idea of being around babies all the time. But,

one day, the twins’ roommate passed away. He was no longer in their room. I knew right then

that I could never do any kind of medicinal practice. I get too attached to things and people, and I

knew that job would kill me.

When I graduated high school, I became fascinated by psychology. I loved the idea of helping

people out, getting inside their heads to see what was going on, and being able to look deeper

into emotions and thoughts. The idea of social work was also fascinating, and I thought I could

do both. When I got home from my mission and started working at A+ solutions (helping special

needs kids and adults), I quickly began to realize that psychology and social work were not for

me. The little 5-year old boy I was over had a really rough home life. I couldn’t do much except

tell my boss the things that I saw and what he told me. I loved this little boy a lot, and I knew he

needed loved. My boss told me I could not allow him to tell me he loved me, he could not hug

me, and I could not hug him, and I could basically show no emotion towards him. This broke my

heart because I knew he needed someone to show him love and compassion, but as a social
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worker or sorts, that was against the rules. This was hard, and I knew I couldn’t do this kind of

work.

On my LDS mission is when I really decided to become a teacher. I loved working with people,

making lessons and changing them if needed, and helping people understand things they didn’t

know before. I knew without a doubt that teaching is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I

don’t expect a lot of rewards per say for doing this job. I want to help and teach kids. I want

them to have someone they can trust and love just like I will trust and love them back. I want my

students to succeed and come back to me one day and show me everything they have

accomplished. I want my students to be happy and enjoy learning as much as I do. To me, that is

the greatest reward I could receive as a teacher. I know that teachers really do help future

generations. Teachers are great examples to their students. And that, is everything I have ever

really wanted.

PROFESSIONAL GOALS

My short-term goal is to graduate the College of Southern Idaho in the fall of 2018 with my

associate degree in Education. In the spring of 2019, I plan on taking my endorsement classes

and preparing for my bachelor’s program in education that fall. I want to get my endorsements in

English. I have always loved writing and reading, and I feel like I am good at it. I will also take

the Praxis Core exam in the spring and get everything ready to start my program. Now, I am not

sure where I will go to receive my bachelor’s program. I was originally planning on transferring

to Idaho State University, but the College of Southern Idaho is trying to bring the 4-year

education program here. So, I think I will wait and see what happens, and then, I will decide

where to apply this fall.

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My long-term goals, are of course, to become a teacher. I want to teach elementary school,

preferably first-third grade. I have worked as a para at a school, and I came to love my

elementary students. They are the sweetest kids and most of them have a huge desire to learn and

be at school. Eventually, I would like to get more endorsements as well so that I can be very well

rounded and able to teach any subject in any grade. I know this will take time, but I hope to

achieve this goal while I am teaching. I will probably go back to school and get my high school

certification as well. I don’t plan on teaching until all my kids are in school because my first

priority is to be a mom. But, I will become a teacher one day, and I am really looking forward to

that.

CONCLUSION

One day, I will change the world and make a difference in someone else’s life. I have so many

dreams and goals and high hopes for the future. I love learning and teaching and helping others

aspire to new things. I am focusing on getting my education now so that I can help my own

students focus on getting theirs. Teaching is my goal. Helping someone grow, changing the

world, and making a difference are my dreams.