Michelle B. [1]
Hometown: Kuna, Idaho
Major: Elementary Education
Anticipated Graduation: May 2018
Because of CWI: “I have new opportunities and my family has a better future!”
Michelle was a stay-at-home mom of three boys for ten years before deciding to get back into the workforce. A job as a paraprofessional, working with special needs students, seemed a great fit, and she began looking into the education required for jobs in her local school district.
“I never imagined myself as a teacher,” she said. “Having a son with Autism and another with severe ADHD and behavioral issues, I had been at the schools quite a bit.”
Beginning her journey at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵÍø (CWI) in 2016, Michelle was on her way to earning an Associate of Arts in Elementary Education. She knew going to school would be a big change for her family and would require sacrifices.
“I put a lot of activities that I enjoyed doing pretty much on hold for the last two and half years,” she said. I had to learn how to intertwine multiple schedules – classes, study time, and work-study hours for myself; school activities, therapy, and counseling appointments for my kids; and my husband’s schedule.”
Life as a student was busy, but filled with many, memorable experiences including volunteering and presenting during the College’s annual Connections Project, spending more than 60 hours observing in K-12 classrooms, and 20 hours of service learning at Gateway Elementary in Boise.
“I attended several fun events on campus with my family – Halloween, the solar eclipse, and information fairs – which enticed my husband to start classes in the Machine Tool program,” she said. “My son also plans to attend CWI in a couple of years.”
Michelle hopes to gain employment as a paraprofessional following graduation. She plans to continue taking classes at Boise State University to earn a teaching certificate with an emphasis in Special Education and History.