The introduction of how I became inspired & mesmerized by the world of reading

Allow me to introduce myself to you: My name is Dara, I am a Native New Yorker born on the Upper East Side and raised in Westchester County, New York.  I have a master's degree in childhood education and I am a former teacher.  I currently reside in the Greater New York City Area. 

After gaining a lot of experience as a teacher and working in the administrative industry for many years, I now realize I would like to use my the degree (s) I have received in a different direction. Although my love for education and children could never be taken away from me, I am looking to transition out of being a teacher into a new career. I am very passionate about what I have learned so far as a teacher and being in the administrative field combined. I would love to embark on a new  endeavor whether that be creative, educational, administrative, etc......I am very open to new possibilities and opportunities that are presented to me which is the reason why I have created this blog. My blog is a portfolio if you will of my passion for writing and my experiences personally and profesionally speaking. In addition, my main incentive of creating this blog is to serve as a professional platform and to help me make connections. I want readers to gain insight on who I am as a professional and individual. 

Ever since I was a young girl and learned to read, I couldn't put a book down. I would even read in the dark (not a good idea, I know).  My earliest memories of the books I started to read were The Babysitter's Club Series and R.L. Stine Fear Street.  

The most pivotal moment in my adolescent life where I knew I reached maturity, is when I read Beverly Cleary's memoir: My Own Two Feet.  I was so enamored with Beverly Cleary's books in elementary school that I'll never forget the day that I was at the bookstore with my mom (one of the many trips my mom & I took) and I was so intrigued to learn about the author who wrote such entertaining, thought provoking novels. While browsing for books, I saw right in front of me her two memoirs staring right in front of my face: A Girl From Yamhill and My Own Two Feet.  I remember debating to myself in my head, which memoir should I read? I looked at the back of the book to read the brief summary of each one and said to myself, "I'm more interested in learning about Beverly Cleary in her adult life when she began college and wrote her first book, versus when she was a child." 

 My Own Two Feet was a dark green and grey colored, big hardcover book that was larger than life to a very frail, small girl like myself! That memoir has a special place in my heart because I happened to start reading that book when my parent's took me on a trip to Disney World.  We went there during Thanksgiving Break and the lines to all the rides in the amusement park were infinitely long. However, I did not notice because I started reading the book when we were there and I could not take my eyes off of every page! I read and I read and time just slipped away.  I even have a photographic memory of one of the pictures taken on the trip with me holding the book wearing a blue denim jacket.  When I returned home from the trip and resumed back to school, we had to write a book report on what we read during our break.  Well, once it was my turn to present mine, I was so proud and happy to talk about how amazed I was to learn about the woman behind the pen that contributed to my passion for reading.  

Fast forward years later to high school:

In my high school, we had a summer reading list that we had to complete all four years of school.  We had to read two books from it each summer. I remember how it seemed like such a chore to everyone in my class to complete the assignment.  When we would return the following Fall, a lot of my classmates BS'd the whole thing and did not read it. ME on the other hand, loved it! Of course, my imagination could not run as wild as to which book would tickle my fancy because we were given a list of books that we had to choose from. However, looking back in retrospect, my English teachers did me a huge favor because if it wasn't for some of the books that they put on the list I never would've discovered some of them and enjoyed reading those books so much.  The non-fiction novel that stuck with me from that time is In Cold Blood written by Truman Capote.  The summer I read that novel, it introduced me to Truman Capote. Subsequently, I wrote my Junior Author Paper on Truman Capote's novella: Breakfast at Tiffany's.  The twelve page paper consisted of me reading the book, watching the film based on it and writing about his life. 

My College Years:

Reflecting on my academic career, my studies have all been focused on reading and writing.  When I started college, both my concentrations were in psychology & human services with a minor in pre-law. Additionally, I took Theater I & II as my electives because I loved reading plays and learning about playwrights that made history, and also because my professor was amazing.   I'll never forget that day I started class during my freshman year of college and took Theater in that big auditorium.  The professor was so animated and her enthusiasm and thirst that she felt for theater was so impalpable, that I was drawn into the world of plays.  

We had our first PowerPoint presentation given on learning about any playwright of our choosing, and that led me to "stumble" across Moliere.  I use the word "stumble," because I do not have any recollection of how I discovered him.  However, what I do remember is how I fell in love with his satirical comedies.  

After being inspired by Moliere, I attended his plays live on stage: The Misanthrope and The Imaginary Invalid in New York City.  It never ceases to amaze me that even during Moliere's time living in 17th Century France, history still repeats itself.  I find it inconceivable that people are so gullible, naive and foolish to believe stories spun by frauds, thieves and the like, even back then! Without naming names, I could personally relate to an identical situation that is presented in Misanthrope. I have to "throw" in some of the books I read in my required English classes that I also remember vividly: Jane Eyre. I never thought I would be one to enjoy reading a classic. I always thought when I was younger classics that took place during such an old time period would be so boring, until I had to read Jane Eyre. After reading the book, it felt like that story could've been placed during modern times.  Everything that happened to Jane Eyre and the subsequent events that followed could've happened to anyone during any time period.  I loved the book so much and really felt sympathy for Jane as if she were a real person. 

Along with that, The psychology courses I took also resonates with me.  The classes consisted of reading about different psychologists and their theories, writing research papers about them, creating and presenting presentations and of course completing exams.  Psychology compelled me to hone in and perfect my writing skills in the process, due to my fascination of that subject.  In other words, psychology handed me the torch to start the fire of my yearning to write. 

GRADUATE SCHOOL:

After my one semester hiatus after graduating with my B.A. in Liberal Studies & Pre-law, I enrolled in graduate school for my M.S. in Early Childhood Education.  In the beginning of my graduate career, I took a lot of education classes that consisted of psychology, like what i learned in my undergrad because the inception of education started with learning about child development in order to understand children's behavior and give them the utmost, valuable education.

 Reflecting on my graduate career, I will never forget when I wrote my research paper on the pioneer of child development: Jean Piaget.  He holds the most importance and first building block of the world of education because he knew how important it is that in order for society to prosper it begins with the education of children.  He is most well known for his four development stages. Jean Piaget has made such an impact in the world of education that educators today still implement his strategies.

                                        Wrapping things up:

To reiterate: This blog serves as a platform for me to write anything & everything I feel passionate about, whether it be personal or otherwise.  I want it to reflect my writing style, ideas and creativity for everyone to see & get my proverbial foot in the door.     

This is also a chronicle of my experience as a teacher. I have realized that I would like to go in a different direction with my education degree.  Instead of choosing to become a teacher, I would like to find another profession that has the same components for my love of education: I love helping people, I love children, education is priceless, I find all of this very rewarding and I have a great deal of empathy for all the students that I encounter everyday.  All of these reasons is what compelled me to get a teaching degree. Additionally, I have many years of professional experience working in the administrative industry as a office director and administrative assistant. I am looking for something new that involves some and/or all of my skills and affinity for education, helping people, reading & writing and working in the administrative field.  

My train of thought is now arriving to the station........................