Tag: Secondary Education

Living With My Best Friends

Living With My Best Friends

I often hear horror stories from friends and family about people who have roomed with their best friends in college and ended up hating their friends by the end of the year. So when making the decision last year to get an apartment with four of my best friends, I was a little hesitant and scared that the same thing would happen to us.

But I could not have been more wrong! My friends/roommates have turned out to be the best, and most supportive roommates I could have asked for. I am posting this today because just this morning they once again showed what wonderful people they are.

So today I had my first day of clinicals! For a secondary education major like myself, that means it was my first day observing in a classroom. This may not sound very intimidating, but let me tell you I was so nervous! I had never been in a classroom before as an adult and I was not sure what to expect. My roommates knew how important today was for me, so after I went to bed last night they hung up good luck signs all over our apartment! I woke up to a handful of encouraging signs and my roommates even woke up early to say good luck before I left!

I had to leave early, 6:45am, for my clinicals because I was placed at Coonley Elementary school in Mrs. Meegan’s 6th grade classroom. A degree in secondary education certifies me to teach grades 6-12, so this is the youngest I could be teaching.

And how did my first day go you ask? It was wonderful! My mentor teacher, Mrs. Meegan, was so friendly and helpful. It was only my first day and I already had the opportunity to take attendance, help put grades in the computer, grade papers, and work with small groups. Such a busy first day!

I look forward to the next two and a half weeks of working in my classroom and I know my roommates will be there for me if I run into any road bumps and need support.

One of the signs my roommates hung up for me this morning.
Another sign my roommates hung up for me this morning. Hanging from our ceiling fan!
A Bit About Me

A Bit About Me

Hi everyone! My name is Cat O’Brien. Generally, when I introduce myself to people, one of two things happens. First, if I am talking to a kid (or young adult if you take the title “kid” offensively) they accept my name and make a small joke about being an animal. If I am talking to an adult though, they almost always say, “Oh, is that short for something?” Somehow adults have a hard time accepting that someone would actually be named Cat. Well, much to my dismay it is not my real name. Catherine Ruth O’Brien is the name my parents gave me when I was born but I have not gone by Catherine in years.

Where I live in Michigan!

I am a sophomore here at Loyola University of Chicago and I love it! I grew up in the small town of Richland Michigan and after high school I was ready for something more exciting than the corn fields and cows that Richland offered. Don’t get me wrong, I love and appreciate where I grew up (probably more since moving away) but I would not trade the experience of living in Chicago for anything.

After a little internal debate freshman year I have decided to major in Secondary Education and English with a minor in ESL studies. All that means is that I want to teach high school English and be able to help out students who have English as their second language. I have taken mostly core thus far in my college career but the few Education classes that I have taken have made me very excited for my future as a teacher.

This semester I am taking my first ESL class, two English classes, and three core classes. That amounts to eighteen credits and some stressful nights trying to get all the homework and studying done. At the end of the day though the hard work usually pays off with a decent grade.