My name is Carlie Ferschneider and I am currently a teacher for Reeths-Puffer Intermediate(RPI) School. RPI is a fifth and sixth grade building designed to better prepare students for the transition from elementary to middle school. I teach sixth grade mathematics and social studies to a total of sixty-two students at RPI. In addition, one of my mathematics class is co-taught with the special education teacher on my teaching team. Although my current teaching position requires me to live in West Michigan, I am originally from eastern Michigan, I grew up in Sterling Heights, Michigan, a suburban area of the metro-Detroit area. My school district consisted of twenty-three elementary schools, six middle schools, four high schools, and a graduating class of five hundred fifty studenst. As a member of a large metro-Detroit area schools, it was definitely an adjustment working for a district with one high school and a graduating class of about three hundred.
My desire to continue educating myself and interest in technology led me to pursue a degree in educational technology. I have been intrigued by technology my entire life. Whether I am showing a video in my classroom or emailing a friend that lives halfway across the world, I am fascinated with ways that technology continues to enhance communication, exposure, and learning for everyone on this planet. I have seen technology change and advance quickly throughout my life and predict that the world will continue to use technology to assist their everyday needs and wants. In a decade where children are surrounded by video games, social networking, touch screens, flat screen televisions, and cell phones, it only makes sense to use technology as a learning tool and incorporate the knowledge that these children are familiar with and enjoy into their education.
Throughout my school career I have been a hard-working and dedicated student that gives nothing short of my best effort. Attending a large university was a goal of mine and my family has continued to support me throughout my school career. Since my parents were financially unable to attend college, they did everything in their power to assist me in receiving the education they never could. I am proud to say that I was the first member of my family to stay on campus at a large university and the first member in my immediate family to pursue a graduate degree. I have many family members that look up to my academic decisions and I want to continue to be a good role model for those watching my educational pathways.
I am an individual that thrives off being busy and involved in many academic and extracurricular activities. I quickly learned how to balance and prioritize during my freshman year by juggling academics, a job, a personal life, and extracurricular activities such as the Spartan Marching Band. As my grade point average throughout my final years and internship program at Michigan State University demonstrate, I continued to succeed at balancing a job, student teaching, graduate classes, and coaching color guard. I take pride in earning a 4.0 grade point average in my graduate courses thus far and plan to continue working hard to maintain that grade point average throughout my graduate program. Along with working hard to maintain my GPA during my internship year, I created many friendships and realized that I wanted to continue exploring cities that I was unfamiliar with. Therefore, I applied to school districts all over the state of Michigan in hopes of relocating to a new area. I fulfilled this aspiration and moved across the state to Muskegon, Michigan in order to pursue my teaching career. I have transitioned well and continue to balance my academics, job, and coaching extracurricular activities such as color guard and Girls on the Run. My most recent transition has proven that I am ready for any journey that life may take me on in order to continue a career in teaching children.
As far as my personal life, I recently got engaged to my best friend and man that I have been dating for over six and a half years. I look forward to spending my life with someone who supports my passions, career, extracurricular activities, and overall desire to teach kids. I have two older sisters, Valerie and Dawn, who have been encourageing role modells. I have envyied their career path choices and only hope that I can live up to the great individuals that they are. My sisters are married to two wonderful men, Jason and Dave, who are both involved in public education. As a teacher and middle school vice principal, my brothers have been very helpful resources. My mother and father are happily married and continue to be the glue that holds our family together. I would not be where I am today without the encouragement and motivation from these wonderful individuals. I also have three beautiful nieces and a handsome nephew in which I enjoy visiting with every time I head to my hometown. My family means the world to me and has been a strong support system throughout each stage of my life!
A Bit About Me
By: Carlie Ferschneider