Haley Nauman

Who Am i?

My biggest fan..my dad and I!

My best friend, my momma bear!

Who am I? To start off, I am a mother and wife. I am also a daughter, granddaughter, sister, aunt and friend. I have a 7 year old son, Camden who keeps me very busy. He plays basketball, baseball, football and he also does karate! I have worked full time on Shenandoah National Park for six years now and I absolutely love it! It's definitely one of the most beautiful places on earth (if you've never been, you need to go!) I am studying early childhood education at ODU and hope to become a second or third grade teacher!

Some background on me...I was born in 1993 in a very small town called Shenandoah, VA. My parents are absolutely amazing and have always been so supportive of everything I do. They have been married for 36 years and are still super in love (so cute, I know). I lived a pretty normal life. I was big into sports, basketball, softball, volleyball, I even did dance for a few years. (I still try to dance now but I'm not great at it and I'm very clumsy!) I graduated from Page County High School in 2012 with an advanced diploma. I went to Lord Fairfax Community College where I obtained my associates in science. In 2013, My high school sweetheart (picture to the right) and I moved into together. Shortly after I found out I was pregnant! Big shock, but a blessing nonetheless. After taking a little break from school and soaking up all the baby cuddles, I applied to Eastern Mennonite University to study nursing. Nursing was my passion, or so I thought. All was going great, 2 semesters in and I thought nursing was my end goal. Flash forward to 2019...my son starts kindergarten. (Fun fact: his kindergarten teacher was also MY kindergarten teacher.) She asked me if I'd be interested in volunteering 1-2 days per week in her classroom. I was a little hesitant at first because I was a full time nursing student, and worked a full time job. I reluctantly said yes, mainly to be with my son while he was in school (I tend to be a "smother mother" as I call it :) ). I fell absolutely in LOVE with being in the classroom. I formed a bond with all of the students and genuinely cared and worried about them after school ended. I decided to change majors, and haven't regretted my decision one bit!

What I know...

What do I know? I know that I want to make a difference in this world. I know I want to be the reason someone may smile that day. I know I want to show a child love that they may not be receiving at home. I want to make a difference in someone's life. Of course I also want to teach my students the required material in a manner that is enjoyable for them.

What I have to learn...

Something I need to learn is that all kids are different! There is no one size fits all when it comes to children. What I aspire to learn the most is how to support my students. How can I teach them the needed material? How can I better their future? How can I show them love? Some children don't come from loving backgrounds, so how can I be patient with them when they act out? Is this acting out because they are desperate for attention? I want to learn more about diversity, and different cultural backgrounds that my students may come from and how this may affect each ones learning. I want to learn to be more confident in my leadership abilities. Most importantly, I want to never stop learning!

The Teacher I WILL Become..

As a teacher, I hope to be fun, but also have authority when needed. Having good teachers early on in education can have great impact for future learning. I want to teach lessons that are needed, but hope to present them in a way that is also interesting and fun to my students. I want to become a teacher that teaches the subject, not just the syllabus. A teacher that believes in her students, sees their potential and helps them also see their own potential.

In my opinion a good teacher is...

Supportive
Inspiring
Resourceful
A Helping Hand
A Mentor
A Learner (to learn about them and how I can best support them)
A Friend

Fact about me: my son and I love Dr. Seuss books! We can spend hours reading them together. We have almost every Dr Seuss book and our favorite is "Wacky Wednesday."

Comments:

Carolyn: I like the colors f your page! I have the same belief of the teacher I will become and think it's amazing you're wanting to learn about diversity. As an Asian American, that makes me very happy. :)

I love your page! I think it is so cool you worked at Shenadoah National Park, I love it there and think its so beautiful. I agree with you that while you want to be kind, caring, friendly teacher, it is also important to set boundaries in your classroom.. I also started as a nursing major and then changed my mind when my son came into my life.

Hi Haley. I picked your page because my daughters name Is Haley as well. My kids love Dr. Seuss, that Is what I grew up on. You are right not every kid Is alike that Is why we need to be patient, understanding, and accepting. My oldest daughter, Alexis Is 8 so It Is nice to see another mom on here with elementary school age children. :) -Alli M.

Hello Haley! I love that you want to be a 2nd or 3rd grade teacher, I want to be a 4th, 5th, or 6th so I can relate to that! I also love how you included the quote from "Oh The Places You'll Go!" . That is my absolute favorite book to read to children because I love the message that it gives. Learning that all children are different and have different backgrounds is one of the most important things to learn in my opinion. Trying to teach a whole class while not realizing they all react to things differently, I love that you want to learn more about this subject, I do as well! - Hallie Cordrey

Hi, Haley! I've never been to the Shenandoah area, but have heard that it is beautiful. Must be so nice in the fall. That's so sweet that your son had the same kindergarten teacher that you did. She must be so thrilled that you are going into teaching now. I love the 2nd and 3rd grade age as well and hope that I spend some time in those classes. They are old enough to understand more and you can give them a wonderful foundation for the upper elementary years. Have a great semester! - Cheryl H.

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