Post #1- Week 1: Personal Bio

Hello all. My name is Karina and I live in Eastern Oregon with my husband and two kids. I am originally from Las Vegas, but Oregon is the place for me and I love it here! We moved to the Hermiston area about 3 years ago. I graduated from University of Oregon and my husband is from the Eugene area so needless to say, we are BIG Ducks fans!!! We like to go camping, snowboarding, love movies, and hanging out with our family. With small kids, as I'm sure some of you know, it's really hard to get out and do all the things you want to do, but as the kids are getting older, we hope to take them on more adventures.

I have been a stay at home mom for the past 4 years, taking care of my 2 crazy kids ages 4 and 2. They keep me very busy. Last year I started tutoring in the school district here and then got my sub teaching license this fall. I love subbing because it gives me the opportunity to work with all grade levels and subjects. I get to see which age, subject and setting best suits me for teaching. I live in a really small community and I have gotten to know most of the kids I sub, (and they have gotten to know me). It is really nice to be able to engage these kids on an academic and personal level. Like I said, my town is very small, I have kids that I sub that live next to me on both sides and across the street from me! Through my experiences, I have really taken a liking to the 4th and 5th grades. These kids are old enough to talk to you on a fairly adult level, but they still have that fire that makes them want to know and learn and explore. They are still curious, they want to do good, to please you, and like being there. I hope to take the lessons I've learned in my experiences to make my student teaching experience an even better one.