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Boonville —
Donna Sharpe teachers family and consumer sciences at Praire Home R-V School. She answered the Boonville Daily News' questions via email.
Age: 24
Experience/ education: Attended college at Northwest Missouri State University. Graduated with a degree in Family and Consumer Sciences Education with a minor in interdisciplinary Gerontology. Second year of teaching at the high school level.
Hobbies: Cooking, sewing, watching TV, and gardening.
Why did you decide to become an educator?
For me it all started in school. I had always dreamed of a career that would help kids, I just hadn’t decided what that would be. I soon figured it out when I started taking Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) Classes. I soon discovered that FACS was everything that I enjoyed doing in my spare time. It also embraced my number one value which is family. After discovering this I decided that I would pursue a degree in Family and Consumer Sciences Education so that I could become a teacher.
Who is a teacher or professor who inspired you and how?
For me there were two very important educators in my life. The first was my FACS teacher in high school. She was a big influence at a very hard and rough part of my life. She was the one who showed me the value of teaching and making a difference in kids’ lives. She was also my Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) sponsor. She opened my eyes to a great organization and provided me a way to experience many possibilities and help others along the way. The second influence on me was a wonderful professor while in college. She opened my eyes to the world of Gerontology (the study of older adults), which is the second passion in my life. I believe that older adults have a great amount of wisdom to share with the world if we would only take the time to listen.
Who is someone in current events who you admire and why?
The group of people that I admire the most are the men and women of the armed forces who are currently overseas risking their lives for our safety. It is because of them that I am able to sleep soundly at night without the constant fear of what may happen. Although there is a large amount of controversy over the current actions of the government involving the current status of involvement overseas I admire the willingness of our armed forces to follow through and risk their lives with some giving the ultimate sacrifice to protect what we have become accustomed to.
Donna Sharpe teachers family and consumer sciences at Praire Home R-V School. She answered the Boonville Daily News' questions via email.
Age: 24
Experience/ education: Attended college at Northwest Missouri State University. Graduated with a degree in Family and Consumer Sciences Education with a minor in interdisciplinary Gerontology. Second year of teaching at the high school level.
Hobbies: Cooking, sewing, watching TV, and gardening.
Why did you decide to become an educator?
For me it all started in school. I had always dreamed of a career that would help kids, I just hadn’t decided what that would be. I soon figured it out when I started taking Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) Classes. I soon discovered that FACS was everything that I enjoyed doing in my spare time. It also embraced my number one value which is family. After discovering this I decided that I would pursue a degree in Family and Consumer Sciences Education so that I could become a teacher.
Who is a teacher or professor who inspired you and how?
For me there were two very important educators in my life. The first was my FACS teacher in high school. She was a big influence at a very hard and rough part of my life. She was the one who showed me the value of teaching and making a difference in kids’ lives. She was also my Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) sponsor. She opened my eyes to a great organization and provided me a way to experience many possibilities and help others along the way. The second influence on me was a wonderful professor while in college. She opened my eyes to the world of Gerontology (the study of older adults), which is the second passion in my life. I believe that older adults have a great amount of wisdom to share with the world if we would only take the time to listen.
Who is someone in current events who you admire and why?
The group of people that I admire the most are the men and women of the armed forces who are currently overseas risking their lives for our safety. It is because of them that I am able to sleep soundly at night without the constant fear of what may happen. Although there is a large amount of controversy over the current actions of the government involving the current status of involvement overseas I admire the willingness of our armed forces to follow through and risk their lives with some giving the ultimate sacrifice to protect what we have become accustomed to.
What are the greatest challenges in education today?
There are many challenges in the world of education today. It is becoming increasingly hard to keep up with all of the changes that are taking place. The world of knowledge is evolving at faster and faster rates. As an educator we learn one thing and within a year the information has changed again and what we had taught is no longer valid. It is also harder to reach the new generations with their ever increasing shorter attention spans. The new generations are used to being able to do something different at alarming rates, examples are when on the computer they can switch between one task and another within seconds and back again, and they often want this same speed in the classroom. The biggest challenge is the increasing budget cuts to our education system. Although I understand the need to cut spending, I am afraid that we are making cuts to a very tough educational system. We are continually evaluated on our ability to increase testing scores and student achievement but we are unwilling to give educators the tools they need to do so. School districts are doing the best they can but I am afraid that one day it will not be enough.
What advice can you offer for someone who wants to go into education?
This is not a job for the faint of heart. This job can at times wear you down and add more stress than you can imagine, however there is a good part to the job. There is something amazing being able to show students the possibilities that lie beyond what they can see. There is a great feeling of joy when a student finally gets the concept that they have been struggling with and you see the light bulb turn on. This is also not a job that you join for the money; it has to be a career choice that you make to gain the emotional riches of making a difference in a child’s life.
What teaching moment is most memorable?
There have been many different moments in my career so far that have been memorable. The most memorable was the way that a group of FCCLA students reacted after a tragic accident involving 2 preschool students. The high school students decided to raise money to assist with the medical expenses of one of the students and the funeral expenses of the other. The students were able to raise over $1500 throughout the semester to assist the families.
