Personal Goals: Christina

In my last semester at St. Olaf, I am naturally giving significant thought to what I want to do after I graduate, and what my vocation will be. There are many options including careers in ecology research, natural resource management, environmental non-profit work, conservation or environmental education. This last option is why I have chosen to work with the elementary schools in Northfield; I want to get experience in an education setting. I have very little formal teaching experience, so I don’t know yet if that would really suit me, and I am hoping this semester will allow me to try it out. I think environmental literacy is extremely important, and setting the groundwork for healthy behaviors (for both the individual and the environment) needs to start at an early age. Will I know how to relate to the third graders? Will they respond well to what I have to teach them? Will they exhaust and frustrate me, or inspire and invigorate me? These are questions I hope to have answered by this project.