College Search Survey

After taking a survey over the career field I'm studying on Collegesearch.com, I found out plenty of information about colleges to pursue my dream in becoming a teacher. With the degree field I'm studying, I began to look at three schools:

1. University of South Carolina. Located in Columbia, SC. www.sc.edu
2. University of North Georgia. Located in Dahlonega, GA. www.northgeorgia.edu
3. Liberty University. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia. www.liberty.edu/

Some Criteria for a quality program of study includes a good Early Childhood Education program. Being that I want to be a teacher in Kindergarten or first grade, I need a top notch program that will help me to become the best teacher I can be. The three best universities for ECE include Arizona State University, the University of Central Florida, and the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities. For a quality ranking and education program, A medium sized school not TOO far from home would be ideal. Somewhere in the East or only a couple states away would be preferable, but staying in Georgia would also work. The school would also need to be either affordable, or give the chance of funding and financial aid. 
After researching and going on ngcf.org, I found several potential scholarships that will apply to me when I graduate:

1. Tommy Aaron/ Charlie Aaron Foundation Scholarship
2. Otis Spunkmeyer Scholarship (DECA)
3. The National Beta Club Scholarships

Growing Leaders

After reading a post off of Tim Elmore's blog, Growing Leaders, I realized the importance in not only first impressions, but keeping that impression throughtout your intern experience. People say first impressions are everything, but what do they matter if you completely change the way you act a week after you get the job or internship? Tim Elmore told a story of a friend of his who had a bad experience with six college students doing an internship for him. After recieving the internship, the students quickly went back to their immature, college behavior, causing Tim's friend to want to end the internship a month after it began. Tim gave his friend advice, telling him to tell the interns that "An internship is a 12 week interview. It is a stimulation the job you will have one day." Doing so makes them realize that they are being observed, while observing their future career. After telling the interns that, they completely turned around and "had great work ethic, great passion for their jobs, and great hunger to grow as emerging leaders." When I finished reading this inspiring article, I felt compelled to make a change in my own internship experience, to focus on growing in to the responsible, initiative leader I know I can be. While in my mentorship, some concrete things I can do to to make sure I have a good impression all year long include being punctual, energetic, and eager to learn from my mentor.The thing I found to be most relevant in the blog is that the internship is not available to just blow off, it's there to help us learn and grow into the leaders we were called to be.

Tim Elmore's blog: http://growingleaders.com/blog/

The Problem with Money

In America, some people say money is what makes the world go round, while others say its what corrupts the world, but what's the true deciding factor? I believe it is the person who holds the money that makes the decision based on how wisely they use what they have, and it seems that that is also what Dave Ramsey, a personal money management expert, also thinks. In his book, The Total Money Makeover, he shares some facts about the credit card debt, interest rates, and the industry itself. If the total American consumer debt is more than 2.7 trillion dollars, I would not agree with the thought that money problems are only for the poor. It seems that every family is dealing with having to borrow money to pay back someone else they borrowed from. It's all a vicious cycle that needs to come to an end, But how do we end it? Dave Ramsey seems to have the answer. "We do not break the bad habit of debt through earning more money, but rather we break any habit by replacing it with a better one." This quote basically says that making more money won't get you out of debt. The way to get out is all about the choices you make in spending whatever money you have. It's all about saving, and not spending on things that are not a necessity. Because of economic situations I have seen from family and friends families around me, I believe I have seen what not to do, and what to do with my finances in the future. I am grasping the fact that you need to set and live by your priorities and boundaries. After starting my first job last February, I have started good habits (such as putting half of my paycheck into savings) that I will set in stone to live by as an adult. Money factors into my future career path as a teacher in early childhood education. Originally I wanted to be a preschool teacher until I researched and realized that an elementary school teacher had a higher salary. Since they both were around the same path, I chose the one with the higher pay because it would be more beneficial. I don't think money SHOULD be a major consideration, but more that it HAS to be. It would be ideal to do exactly what you WANT to do, but sometimes we have to do what we HAVE to do in order to live a healthy, debt free life. It's all about balancing the profit you'll get and doing what you love to do. Working as an anesthesiologist would be great because of the high income, but I wouldn't enjoy it for I have no interest in the health care path.

Ethics

Ethics- a word many use without knowing the true meaning. What is the actual definition of ethics? According to dictionary.com, ethics are moral principles that govern a person's or group's behavior. But I believe the word has a much deeper meaning than any definition can describe. From the ages of 4-10, the average person establishes their ethical beliefs based on what they hear and see from people around them. The ethics made as a child more times than not lay a foundation for the rest of their life. They come from people such as siblings, parents, or any person who may have an impact on their life. Unlike morals, ethics are made by other people. Morals, on the other hand, are all about yourself. They both are about deciding what is right and wrong, but morals are from the individual themself, and ethics are from an external source. I do not believe one person is more ethical than the other. Everyone's ethics are based off of the same principles. There is a vague idea of what is truly right and wrong for everyone. For example, we all know that murder and theft is bad. Although some may have stronger opinions for certain subjects than others, it doesn't make them more or less ethical. Training to be a teacher in Early Childcare, I know there will be many times there will be ethical dilemmas. If a student I am helping has a different idea on ethics than me, I will have to respect them and move on rather than starting a disagreement. Or in the future when I may be a teacher, there may be things in the teaching standards that don't agree with my ethical beliefs that I will have to teach anyways. It's all about being calm and respectful towards others, and a lot of times just sucking it up and doing what you have to do.