My future - my legacy

I have not yet entered my middle adulthood years yet, but when all is said and done in my life, I hope to have created a legacy in my life. I want to be an example of Erikson's generativity theory. I hope that my vocational legacy involves the work I have chosen to do with children with disabilities. I know that I have a God-given gift of helping children with disabilities, and my dream is to one day return to that field as an administrator. I hope that when I reach my late adulthood years, I will be able to look back upon my middle adulthood years with successful eyes. I want to be able to smile when I think of all the students and families who I have helped and touched. As for my physical goals in middle adulthood, I think I'm going to be alright with my saggy, stretched skin, but my eyesight is so important to me. I can already see a decline in my eyesight, and I'm only 28. The thought of having to wear glasses in order to read really makes my anxiety levels climb.

I became an adult when . . .

In my adolescent years, I did not get along with my parents, mainly my mother. I wanted my freedom and I was somewhat rebellious. I was ready to prove to them that I could survive. I felt as if they were more strict with me than my siblings, and I had so much anger toward them because they didn't trust me. However, there was a turning point in the relationship between my mother and me. It was in the summer of 2000 when I was 20 years old, barely a junior in college, and I became pregnant. I was not married at the time, but me getting pregnant was the best "mistake" I ever made. Of course my mother was outraged. The strange thing about the situation was that she didn't stay in a state of anger for long. It only took her about a week to realize that I was an adult. I was capable of making my own decisions and living with the consequences. Now, my mother is my best friend. I call on her for everything. It took my getting pregnant out of wedlock to establish a relationship with my mother. I completely agree with the saying, "You don't understand your parents until you become one yourself."

the majorette crowd

When I was in high school, I was a majorette in the band. I feel like the majorette line was a crowd which I belonged to. In that crowd, I also belonged to a clique within the crowd. As I think back, my junior year on the twirling line was very tense. The senior girls were extremely hateful and dictating. There was one day after practice when the senior members held a meeting and chewed us up one side and down the other because they claimed we all had bad attitudes. As the truth came out, there was only two other members who they were referring to, but we all had to listen to the chewing. These particlar leaders were ostracized by the entire group. They thought that since they had the power, they could take advantage of the underclassmen. This experience helped me to be a better leader my senior year. I always tried to remain positive and boost morale. Looking back, I am saddened to think that I am the one who felt like I was on pins and needles the entire year, but I am glad that I was a good leader the following year.

School Days

Since I attended Texas public school during the mid to late 80's, the education pendulum was far to one side - the ability grouping side. In Kindergarten there were two groups - red and green. In first grade, there were three ability groups - green, blue, and red. (Common sense tells you that the green group was the cognitively higher group.) As I entered into second and third grade, I was able to switch classrooms for the four academic areas. These make-up of students in the classrooms were also ability groups. I also experienced similar classroom structures in the fourth and fifth grades. The physical setting of these classes involved "richly equipped subject areas with activity centers and flexible space which can be easily adjusted for whole class and small group instruction" (Bredekamp & Copple, 1997, as cited in Berk, 2007). Since my middle childhood experiences in education were successful I am a firm believer in ability grouping. Hopefully, one day the pendulum will swing back to the "ability-grouping side" instead of the mainstreaming side.

Berk, L.E. (2008). Exploring lifespan development. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Power of Pretend

As I spent time with Bebe, I became more and more intrigued by her actions. I can remember mimicikng every little step she took. As a result of my attentiveness to Bebe, I entered into a stage of pretend (practice) play where I imitated grown-up tasks such as reading, baking, taking care of babies, and being a bank teller. To this day, my father will still discuss how mature I acted as a child. Throughout my childhood, people always thought that I was older than my brother. I believe that the power of pretend played an enormous role in my development as a child. Having my Bebe as a role model created many important pretend experiences in my early years of life.

Birth

As a result of an unplanned pregnancy, I was born on November 25, 1979, to Rick and Sharon Spoon. Born as the second child, there were no complications during pregnancy; however, I was delivered by Cesarean Section. The first few months of my life, so I've been told, I was an extremely "fussy" baby.

At the time of my birth, my father was working in the construction business for Brown & Root General Construction. He was 26 years old, and enjoyed outdoor activities including hunting, camping, fishing, and playinig softball. My mother was also 26 years old and was a stay-at-home mom to my brother, Corey. He was born only 17 months earlier than me. My mother also joined a local sorority which met once per month.

Both of my parents were from stable, close families. Both my maternal and paternal grandparents were supportive and involved in my early years of life. The morals and values instilled in my parents were very evident in our family activities. We attended a small church, and had a pet dog named Duffie. As the first granddaughter, there was a very special bond formed between my maternal grandmother and me. Bebe and I were very fond of each other.