Elizabeth+M.

Phase I: Who Am I? What's My Place?


 * ====** What __ really __ makes up your identity? **====


 * My identity is shaped by my family, friends, life experiences, and values.
 * **__ Friends and Family __**
 * My family and friends provide me with support, encouragement, and strength. I am very close with each member of my family and I am very thankful for that. My mother and I talk at least once a day, and I truly believe that she is my best friend. I know that she is just a phone call away when I need a recipe idea or a suggestion for teaching fractions. More importantly however, she helps me realize that, "this too shall pass." She is an inspiration to me each and every day.
 * Additionally, my husband provides me with support and strength. Even though we have only been a part of each others lives for five short years, we have experienced our fair share of trials and tribulations that have built our foundation as a couple and a **__team__**. He is not only my husband, but my best friend. It was just two years ago that he watched our brother - in - law graduate with his Master's Degree in Education. During the ceremony, he whispered to me, "You need to do this, NOW!" And, here I am!
 * I do not have a large group of friends, but I hold close the tight friendships that I do have. As the years have gone by, I continue to enjoy the time that I spend with my college friends. I graduated with three amazing women that are wonderful teachers today. I love spending time with them and sharing stories of our individual teaching experiences. I have the pleasure of working at a close knit community school, and I have built many friendships there over the past few months. My husband always laughs at me because my best friend is twice my age, but, like my mother, she is a source of support, strength, and encouragement.
 * **__ Life Experiences __**
 * My identity is ultimately shaped and defined by my life experiences. As I mentioned in my profile, I have lived in a number of different places, ranging from metropolitan cities to rural towns. I have traveled to multiple destinations, ranging from Florence, Italy to San Francisco, California. As I reflect on my time in other cities and countries, I realize that each destination has contributed to my individual identity.
 * Throughout college, a number of experiences, such as student teaching and Studying Abroad, contributed to my identity as an individual. Each experience was characterized by strengths and challenges that ultimately shaped the individual that I am today.
 * **__ Values __**
 * Each individual holds close a core set of values and beliefs. I value family, friendship, creativity, leadership, and personal development. I enjoy the time that I spend with my family, and I hold dear the friendships that I have. I seek opportunities in which I can express my creativity and seek new and innovative ways to try something. I strive to be a leader in different areas of my life, especially in my teaching career. I enjoy motivating and energizing other people with instructional strategies and ideas. As an individual, I am in pursuit of continuous personal development. It is my hope that each of my life experiences will help me grow and learn how to best use my talents to make an impact on our world.


 * ** What __really__ makes up your sense of place? **
 * When I think about my sense of place, a number of different “places” come to mind. First, I think about being at home with my family. My parents live in Wilmington, North Carolina, just a few minutes away from Wrightsville Beach. My husband and I enjoy spending time there with my brothers and their families. Even though I have lived in different parts of our country, I grew up going to Wrightsville Beach and I always feel at home there. So, my first sense of place is Wilmington.
 * My second sense of place is my classroom. My classroom is where I can showcase my talents, nurture the thinking of my students, and continue my journey of lifelong learning. It is also a place where I communicate and collaborate with my colleagues.


 * ** What roles do your identity and sense of place play when you work with others in a group project? **


 * Being able to understand my own identity allows me to communicate and collaborate effectively with others. I am aware of my personal strengths and challenges and I am always seeking opportunities to improve.
 * I am eager to spend the next few weeks working with teachers and students from across the globe. I am hoping that this opportunity will allow me to further my understanding of global competency and global learning.


 * ** What are the qualities that you bring to the GLIP conversation that will help you make a contribution to your global group? **


 * As a student, teacher, and individual, I have a number of qualities that will help me make a contribution to my global group. I can effectively communicate and collaborate with others, whether in person or online. I enjoy listening to the stories and thoughts of others, and I appreciate being able to visualize their perspective. I am also a lifelong learner, and I am eager to learn something new from the members of my global group.
 * I have had the opportunity to live in many different places and travel to numerous destinations. In college, I experience the opportunity of a lifetime when I studied abroad in Florence, Italy. I believe that these life experiences will allow me to contribute to my global group more effectively.


 * ** What is one local problem (where you live) that you believe needs to be addressed? Suggest some steps could you take to try to solve it? **


 * **__ Background Information: __**
 * I live in a small town in Nash County, North Carolina. Even though Rocky Mount is only one hour away from the state capitol in Raleigh, many people are not familiar with the area. Although I live in Rocky Mount, I have taught in Nashville, North Carolina and I am currently teaching in Elm City, North Carolina. Nashville and Elm City are two of the local communities that are in the greater Rocky Mount area. Like any "small town," Rocky Mount and the surrounding communities have a number of grocery stores, a few places to shop for clothes and other items, and of course a Target and Wal - Mart. If you were to drive throughout my community, you would see fields upon fields of tobacco, corn, sweet potatoes, and other crops. It truly is a beautiful sight to see throughout the year.
 * **__ Local Problem __**
 * Growing up in Nash County, my husband and his family were responsible for taking "off" their own trash to the local dumpsters. His family lived off the beaten path, therefore, trash pickup was not an option. Although there are more options for individuals today in regards to disposing of their trash, I am afraid that too many households in our community are not recycling. For example, my husband and I live in a small neighborhood that does not offer trash pickup. Every Friday, my husband takes "off" our trash, just like he did for his mother and father when he was growing up. Although there are bins or dumpsters for recycling there, I am afraid that too many people in our community are not recycling due to the lack of convenience. I know that is a terrible thing to say, but it is true. I would like to research in depth how I can address this problem in our local community. I believe that our community members would benefit from more information on why recycling is important and necessary. It is clear that many members of our community ARE recycling, yet too many are not.
 * Problem - Solving Steps
 * RESEARCH the effects of recycling to share with others.
 * EDUCATE community members {Why recycle? What can I recycle? Where can I take my recycling?}
 * PROVIDE community members with recycling canisters for their homes.
 * ENCOURAGE community members to recycle. Perhaps a local initiative could be developed that would encourage community members to recycle.


 * ** Finally, some problems have been around for a long time. What qualities do you think a person must have to step up and try to solve them? **


 * First, I believe that individuals must be ** __brave__ ** . To begin to solve problems, individuals must not be afraid to make difficult decisions. Often, the answers or solutions to problems are met with resistance because they are unfavorable. If individuals are brave, they can look past this resistance and move forward with their decisions. Additionally, individuals must be ** __open – minded__ ** and be able to take suggestions from others. Too often, leaders are quick to dismiss the ideas and thoughts of others, thus leading to improper decision making. I also believe that in order to step up and solve problems, individuals must be ** __creative thinkers__ ** . It is obvious that leaders in our global community are working together to try and solve problems using creative methods and means. This must continue as we move forward.

Phase II: Sense of Place


 * Guiding Questions
 * Does a scenic picture represent the beauty you believe that your town has?
 * Does a picture of a group of people represent and show a warmth and friendliness that your town has?
 * Does a statue or building convey the feeling of history that makes your place important and unique?
 * Is there a cultural event that represents the values of your home location?


 * ** Images **
 *  I had a hard time selecting just one picture to illustrate my sense of place, so I chose to include a few images. After all, my sense of place is not just one "place," but many different places. The first picture was taken at ** Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina ** . As I mentioned in my previous post, I grew up playing in the sand on Wrightsville Beach, and I still consider the Wilmington area my "home." Wilmington is a beautiful city that is well known for its beaches. The second picture is of the ** North Carolina State University ** bell tower. The bell tower was completed in 1937 and was built to honor thirty - three alumni who died in World War I. To me, the bell tower represents the time that I spent at NC State as an undergraduate student, and now as a graduate student. I believe that it is a true landmark in the downtown Raleigh, North Carolina area. The third picture is an image of ** Coopers Elementary **, where I teach second grade. As I mentioned in Phase I, my classroom is a special place for me because it is where I can showcase my talents as an educator and continue my quest as a lifelong learner. The fourth picture was taken at the **__Nash County Farmers Market__.** I believe that the Farmers Market illustrates the dynamics between the people involved in growing, harvesting, selling, and buying products.
 *  These three pictures illustrate the three geographical locations that have contributed to my sense of place in the most recent years: // Wilmington, Raleigh, and Rocky Mount. //
 * **Three Facts**
 * Although I chose three images to represent my overall sense of place, I will focus solely on Nash County for the remainder of this post.
 * Since the Civil War, Rocky Mount has been known primarily as a leading agricultural county. Nash County ranks 8th in area devoted to farmland in North Carolina. Agricultural products from Nash County include tobacco, poultry, swine, corn, soybeans, sweet potatoes, cotton, peanuts, cucumbers, beef cattle, and dairy cattle and products.
 * Nash County is only an hour away from North Carolina State University and East Carolina University.
 * Nash County is home to a university, several historical and cultural sites, and it hosts annual events and festivals. The Outdoor Art Show, the Spring Hope Pumpkin Festival, the Nashville Blooming Festival, and the Freedom Celebration are important events held in Nash County each year.
 * Fun Fact: The first Hardee's restaurant opened in Nash County in 1960.
 * **Charitable Work**
 * United Way
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: "Comic Sans MS",cursive;">As a community member, I contribute to the United Way because I believe in supporting my local community members. The United Way program funds special programs and provides services to thousands of people in Nash County each year. Below are a few examples of the United Way at work.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: "Comic Sans MS",cursive;">Helping Children Learn and Grow: Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: "Comic Sans MS",cursive;">Guiding Youth Towards Success: Character Building, Educational Services
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: "Comic Sans MS",cursive;">Emergency Assistance and Shelter: Temporary Housing, Food and Clothing Pantries
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: "Comic Sans MS",cursive;">**Cultural Aspect**
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: "Comic Sans MS",cursive;">**The Imperial Centre**
 * <span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS",cursive;">Check out the Imperial Centre Website at: []
 * <span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS",cursive;">The Imperial Centre is the home of the Arts Center and the Children's Museum and Science Center.

Phase III: Identify Local Issue: **__Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!__** <span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS",cursive;">What is your local issue?
 * <span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS",cursive;">As I identified in Phase I, I believe that a local issue in my area is recycling. I live in a small, rural community and I am afraid that too many people in our community are not recycling due to the lack of convenience. Although there are facilities where individuals can take their recycling, I do not think enough community members are doing so. In the past three years, I have seen an increase in the amount of people recycling in this area, so that makes me hopeful!

<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS",cursive;">What can you do to be address the issue?
 * <span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS",cursive;">As a second grade teacher, I believe that I can address this issue in the classroom. Instead of creating an instructional plan that involves recycling on Earth Day, like I have done in the past, I can change my perspective and teach about the importance of recycling all year long. Starting on the first day of school, I can explain the importance of recycling to my students and encourage them to recycle what they can in the classroom. Currently, my students already do this. I would also like to involve my students in a school - wide project in which we collect recyclable material. I know that I could collaborate with the Art Teacher at my school to help me with this project. Last year, she had students turn in "tops" from bottles, such as Laundry Detergent or Gatorade. Each class then created an animal out of the tops. The animals are on display outside of the school. It is a constant reminder to the staff and students about the importance of recycling and reusing materials.
 * <span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS",cursive;">I would also like to become actively involved in the community and educate community members about the importance and benefit of recycling. I think it would be wonderful if each home in my community had a recycling container! I am often astonished at the amount of "trash" individuals throw away that could easily be RECYCLED or REUSED!

<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS",cursive;">What is the global impact of your local issue?

<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS",cursive;">Add these thoughts to your Group's Discussion Forum on Local Issues