I began my first year of teaching in 2014 as an Aspiring Teacher. I worked full time with a lead teacher and shared all of the same roles and responsibilities as a certified teacher, while attending grad school full time. I believe that trust and communication between the students and the teacher is the foundation for successful learning. During my first year of teaching, I experienced some hardships. Students were in extreme poverty and/or homeless and were often neglected. Countless times, students were being taken into custody by DCS while siblings continued to live with family members. Children often came to school in the same dirty uniform everyday and were hungry, tired, scared, and angry at their current living situation. This is where my passion for teaching grew even stronger. Before, I just wanted a career where I could guide students and share my knowledge and love for learning with children. I wanted to create an environment where students had a constant thirst for knowledge and create an exciting learning environment where students learned strategies and tools for being successful in the real world. While I still want this for my students, I also want them to have positive adult role models in their lives. I want students to feel safe and loved in my classroom and I want them to be able to trust and communicate with their school community. I have a soft spot for working with students in poverty and I want my students to grow into strong, caring, and intelligent individuals instead of resenting the world around them.