Who am I?

My name is Andi Smith, I'm a silly 20 year old girl who resides in Grass Valley. My primary language is English, however, I did take 4 years of spanish (3 in highschool, 1 at Sierra College). I was born in San Louis Obispo and shortly after (when I was 3) my family moved to Nevada City to be closer to my grandparents and other family. So, yeah,  I grew up here in Nevada County! I've always loved being outdoors and spending time with my family and friends. I'm a girl who enjoys food, music, crafting, walking/hiking and having fun.

My ethnicity is caucasion, I have a little of everthing though. The nationalitys I know of for sure are, german, swedish, and english. I am also 1/16 Cherokee Indian. My grandfather is a 1/4, although he might be a 1/2 (I can never remember), but he and my dad have leather-like skin and my sister and I have always tanned easily. Ever since I can remember, my grandfather and grandmother's home has been filled with Kokopelli's and Indian tapestry's and rugs. Also, I have been exposed to parts of Nativie American heritage and culture almost all my life.

What is most important to me? I would say honesty, communication and understanding. Honesty and communication go hand in hand, but I believe you can not have a meaningful and productive relationship (with anyone) with out them both. It's important to speak your mind (truthfully) and to communicate how you feel in any partnership setting (job, marriage, or school). Understanding is also very important to me. The ability to understand or "walk around in other people's shoes" and to be able see different points of view and emotions is hard for many people. To do this, you have to have an open mind and heart and be able to hear all feelings and emotions. I believe teachers should provide these 3 assets, set an example in class and teach/guide the children how to use these with friends, teachers, and parents in a repectful and positive way.

A little about me and my family. . . ?
I am a fun, caring, silly, sensitive, passionate, intelligent, hard-working, responsible, imaginative, and ambitious person. I am a teacher, daughter, best friend, sister, co-worker, friend, dog-sitter, house-sitter, and student (wow, I don't think about all this often enough). First of all, I really enjoy my job. I get to spend time with kids 6 hours a day, play, laugh and make a difference in their lives (they also make a difference in mine). It's awesome. I am really passioate about education. I love to learn new things and different subjects. I'll probably be one of those people who go to school for the rest of their life.
I have a great family whom supports me and challanges me always. M y parents are divorced and I lived with my dad in Alta Sierra up until 2 months ago when I recently moved out on my own. My mom has lived in Rocklin since my 8th grade or freshman year. So she's lived far away from my sister and I for awhile, which is hard, but she's a great mom. My dad remarried to my step-mom my freshman year of highschool. She's a wonderful, funny lady. I also have a younger sister and a younger step-sister who are 2 of the funniest and beautiful girls I know. My dad is the most hard-working, strong and sweet person I know. Our family has been through a lot, but he turns it into a lesson and learns from mistakes made and turns each and every thing into an opportunity. He's always telling me that if I'm unhappy or unsure about my profession or anything I do, that I can always, (no matter what) change it and do something else, and that I should never settle.

My job? Well, it's one of best things I've done with my life. I am a lead teacher in a 4th/5th grade classroom at an after school program. I get to spend lots of time with children and I'm always learning something new everyday. I'm a lead teacher so that means I lead the classroom and spend a lot of time outside of the big group of kids dealing with conflicts, concerning parents, first aid, and preping. However, I wish I had more time to spend with the group because the kids are awesome and so much bring me so much joy.

Culture and diversity is an important class to take and will be useful for my job as a teacher. I'm already an open person, but I think that this class will help tie in culture and diversity to curriculum for the kids I work with now and in the future. It will help me better serve the children for issues concerning this topic.

Well let's see, time. . . I usually have a break every day for 5 hours (I work 7-9am, 2-6pm). So I spend time walking/walking the dogs, crafting, spending time with family & friends, cooking and listening to music. Also, now that the semester has started, homework and learning. I take a full course load every semester (4 classes) and work 30+ hours each week so I enjoy relaxing while watching food network or movies and staying warm when not focusing on schoolwork. I set many goals for myself so I spend a lot of time deciding how to achieve them and taking action (like getting my degree in ECE). That's pretty much me!