Who am I?

Hi, my name is Megen White I am a Junior at Old Dominion University. I transferred from Longwood University to Tidewater Community College whenever COVID first hit and I was sent home to go virtual. I then transferred from TCC to ODU this semester. I am a military brat and was born in Puerto Rico, then I moved to Maryland, and have been in Virginia Beach since I was 5. I work in a local elementary school as a Special Education Teacher Assistant in a Kindergarten and First Grade Self-Contained Classroom. I also work at a local Emergency Veterinary Hospital where I get to experience a lot of cool hands on things and get to deal with animals.

Family and friends are very important to me. I am the youngest of the family, I have a older sister. My sister, her husband, and two dogs live in Ohio so I do not always get to see them but the moments I do are very special. I enjoy hanging out with my mom and dad watching movies and having the important Sunday family dinners. I have a dachshund named Trooper who is 15 years old and a cat named Peanut who is 8. I love hanging out with my best friend and her dog.

My influences:

I have had two major influences who have lead me down the teaching path.

The first is one is Mrs. Bettcher, she was my Sixth Grade Science Teacher. She was one of the most kind, passionate, and caring person I have ever known. Even though she was my sixth grade teacher she was more than that. She checked on me and encouraged me through my whole High School journey and college. I did my internship with her when I was in Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow, where I went on to receive and sign a teaching contract with VBCPS. Mrs. Bettcher unfortunately passed away December of 2021. I strive to be as passionate of a teacher as her, as kind of a teacher as her, as understanding of a teacher as her, as patient of a teacher as her, and so much more. She was an amazing person that I strive to be like in my classroom.

My second influential person is Doctor Walck, she was my Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Teacher during my Junior and Senior year of High School. Doc Walck took me in at a time I felt alone. I started my junior year at a new Highschool, it was very hard to find a friend group where I felt like I belonged because everyone had been friends and kind of found themselves in the past two years. Doc Walck encouraged me to meet new people and was a safe space for me to go to talk. She taught me all about education and is one of the kindest people I know. To this day we still are in contact, she is there when I need help or advice, and she always celebrates my accomplishments. I strive to be as kind of a teacher and as influential as a teacher she is to all her students.

Leave a comment!

• My second grade teacher was a huge Influence on my chosen career path. It's exciting and scary to think of the Impact our future selves will have on our students. II'm also a baseball fan! Who's your favorite team? I'm local to VA, so It's the Nationals :) -Amanda Henson

• Hi, Megen! Like you I also had a teacher who influenced my career choice. She was my 12th grade dual credit English and taking her class made me want to become an English teacher too. I loved the way she taught and made assignments so engaging. Saying no is hard for me too, I'm a people pleaser and my husband tells me all the time I need to learn to say no more, but it's hard. I think you'll be an awesome teacher! - Kaitlyn Garrett

• The Office is also one of my favorite shows and I have a short haired tabby named Peanut. I also think you had two great former teachers that influenced you to become a teacher and I also feel being a military child will help with the big military population and helping kids adjust knowing that you went through the same thing- Isaiah Allen

• My favorite part of your page is that you included a likes and hobbies section. I love getting to know students and when they are interested in my own life. It helps us connect and in turn become a better classroom. Since you included yours, it gave me the idea to always share that. I want others to know me and feel comfortable around me. You also never know what will spark a friendship. You also mentioned patience is key and I could not agree more. I think as a society we are so focused on getting things done quickly and we forget to slow down. We can teach our students more when we just have more patience. Lastly, it's great to see that your teachers influenced you. A great teacher is memorable and irreplaceable. I hope we can all pass that torch someday.

• Hi Megan! I also plan to have a student- centered environment in my classroom! It's nice knowing that there are going to be other teachers out there that will care wholeheartedly about their students. I also love the office! Who's your favorite character?

• Hi Megan, I really enjoyed reading your Authors About Me Page. I also love the outdoors and hiking! When I use to live in my old apartment I would walk around the complex so much people knew me as the girl who walk the complex when they would see me lol! I am also such a gym junky and love going to the gym! I saw a few specific bullet points that I really loved and will keep in mind in the future were "I need to learn to have confidence in myself as a teacher", "I know the world around us is forever changing it is our job to change with it", and lastly "As a teacher I will be a gardener, like gardeners who nurture their plants, as a teacher I will make sure my students are nurtured by giving them supportive learning environments.". I wish you the best of luck the semester!

Sadie P. Hawkins