About Alison
Life is good. After spending the first 18 years of my life in Maple Valley, a small town outside of Seattle, I thought it was my duty to go and experience the real world. I ventured down to Azusa Pacific University, near Los Angeles, California, where I received a BA in Social Science and a minor in Youth Ministry. While I enjoyed my time in California, those four years taught me that I love the Pacific Northwest; I returned to Maple Valley in 2008 after graduation.
I love my job. I work at a church as the youth assistant and still have trouble figuring out why I get paid to do what I do. I have some incredible small groups and I love hanging out with them. These girls are always teaching me something new! I love getting to go on retreats and mission trips to watch as students’ lives are changed for the good. It is incredible to be a part of the life of a student as he/she grows up.
This is why I want to become a secondary teacher. Adolescents need people in their lives to walk with them, encourage them, and support them as they try to figure life out. I want to do that. The social studies classroom is a place to introduce students to real issues and challenge them to think further than they have before. As the minds of adolescents develop the ability to think more abstractly than before, students are excited to learn when they are given new and challenging opportunities. I want to create a classroom that challenges students’ thinking and pushes them to new levels.
