Weekly Summer Link-Up - 5 Years Ago

Hello!  I hope everyone had a fantastic 4th!  This week's link-up with I Heart Grade 3 is about where you were five years ago.

5 years ago was 2010 and I was 21 years old.  I was an Elementary/Early Childhood major at Missouri Southern State University.  I took my first international trip with the education department, spent tons of time with my friends, went to class, and worked at an after school program at a local elementary school through the Y.

College: 5 years ago I had one more year left of college.  Here's me doing a selfie in the teacher education work room (die cuts in the background).  Come to think of it, I took a lot of selfies when I was younger.

We did a lot of projects and lessons.  Here's a history trunk we had to do.  I did civil rights and found lots of cool things at flea markets including some great LIFE magazines.  My dad and I stained that trunk.  No clue where it is now.  :/

Down Time:  I loved to go visit my friends at their schools (Mizzou and Missouri State).  I also spent lots of evenings and weekends at my brother's baseball games.  

At Mizzou in front of the columns. 

I loved sitting on the hill over the ball field at the old high school watching JHS play.  Unfortunately a year later on May 22, 2011 we had an EF-5 tornado level the middle of our town from one end to the other (5 or 6 miles I believe) and the high school was smack in the middle of town.  The new field that opened last year is beautiful but I miss that hill.

China!: In May 2010 I went to China with a group from the ed dept at Southern.  We went to Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai for 11 days.  It was amazing.  I don't know why I signed up.  I do know that I thought I'd never get the opportunity to go there again and to seize it.  

We visited some schools in Shanghai!  This was in an elementary school.  Their gov't party lady who led a gov't club at that school didn't leave our sides.  Haha! Desks, work books, and reciting.

The Great Wall!  Whew, climbing that thing in 85 degree weather packed with people was exhausting.  The steps are very uneven and different sizes so that made it tricky as well.

Lastly, here I am at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing before we went on to Xi'an.  I had to wear my Packers shirt and do the pose that EVERYONE does in China.

I didn't have a classroom 5 years ago being only 21 and not finished with school.  I enjoyed that year.  It was the start of lots of great things.  

Now onto my 4th year of teaching!