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With this incredible and amazing school year coming to a close in just a matter of weeks, I can't even begin to explain how much gratitude that I have in my heart for this wonderful life changing experience. It has been such a rewarding and great almost seven years getting to help out in two different classrooms this year and even though it was difficult at first, I have enjoyed being able to serve in anyway that I possibly could.

August 2010

I started my internship over at Westridge Elementary about six years ago and as nervous as I felt inside about this, I really didn't know if someone like me would enjoy getting to help out in a first grade classroom. It was definitely an entire new adventure for me to take on and little did I know what an absolute life changing experience it would turn out to become. 

I almost wanted to not do it at all until shortly after that first year of being a intern, that I'd find myself going back for the next few years. It has been one of the biggest blessings in my life and I honestly wouldn't want to trade this experience for anything else. I may not have peformed various tasks as well as I would have liked to, but I was able to give it my best shot and never give up on myself to pushing through every situation that came in my path. 

April 2017

Almost seven years later did I ever think that my life would be like it is now and I am here to tell you, that this experience of volunteering has made me a better person in this world. I have loved getting to watch the students I've had in the past growing up and moving onto the other grades has truly been such a treat for me to be a part of. I am not sure what else the rest of this school year has in store for me, but I do know that the people I've met at Westridge have truly impacted my life more than I'd ever be able to express into my own words. Thank you all so much for your patience and willingness to give me opportunities to serve in your classrooms and getting better accquainted with you on a personal level.

A Flash Back

One of the many remarkable people that I've been able to meet while volunteering over at Westridge have truly been so amazing and incredible to work with. Awhile back I was given the privilege and opportunity to help volunteer in the library with my absolute favorite librarians ever, Miss Christoffersen. She was such a gem to be able to get to accquainted with and I kept telling her multiple times that I was so impressed with how she was able to keep that library running smoothly. She would genuinely tell me that "Yes, it's a chore." But I knew that she enjoyed getting to help all of the students at Westridge with anything they needed. I liked getting to listen and watch her teach all of the classes that came in through the library during the day. She always prepared so many fun lessons and watching her read books to the students was an absolute delight for me to see.  I remember going in there after having helped out in Mrs. Schwen's first grade classroom and heading over to the library to do whatever I'd need to get taken care of. I also liked being able to have some peace and quiet away from the chaos of my first grade students. I didn't really know how much fun it would be to help out in a library because you'd simply think it would just be really boring. But I tried my hardest to make it such a positive experience for myself and for the librarian who was already putting in so many hours to make that library such a fun place to be. I'll never forget when I was asked to clean down the book shelves as best as I could & believe me, I gave it my all to make sure those book shelves looked very spotless and clean. I remember some of the teachers walking into the library and telling me what a great job I was doing at cleaning the shelves in there and asking me if I could do that in their classrooms. It was definitely something I didn't see coming but I would genuinely let them know that I'd be more than happy to do that if it needed to be done at the time. I enjoyed getting to learn some new skills about how much effort and energy it takes into being a librarian. It was definitely at certain times for me a little more challenging than I thought it would be and yet I gave did my best to do whatever needed to be done. I also really enjoyed getting to do the inventory in the library which basically means that I walked around looking for books that haven't been checked out in the last ten years and needed to be taken off the shelves. Or if there was any particular books that were missing to make sure I matched the barcodes/call numbers with it from this inventory packet that had all of the information on it. If I ever found one of those I would match it up and make sure it was the correct one, and then check it off the list. It was so much fun to check out all of the different sections of the library were located. I was grateful for the opportunity it gave me to try something new and also take a lot of that hard work off the librarians shoulders so they could focus on the many other things they needed to do. Sarah was such a great friend/mentor to me over the years and even allowing me the opportunity to help her out with little things like whether it was being the score-keeper of a game she had put together or whatever it was, I felt very humbled/blessed to do that. I loved it so much and I will truly never forget the patience & kindness that Sarah showed me throughout those years more than anything else. It was really such a blessing to not only make a new friend but to help out in a completely different way. I am  forever grateful for her example and friendship  which is something that I will always hold a special spot in my heart for years to come. 

Sarah,

Words will never be enough for me to describe how much I'll miss you not being here at the school and giving so much countless service to all of the students. I am grateful for your amazing example and friendship in my life more than anything in this world has to offer. I am sad to see you leaving this wonderful school and moving on to other things in life, but I know that anyone who comes into contact with you their lives will be forever changed. Thank you so much for all of the service you've given to Westridge all these years and I know that my life will never be same because of you. I will greatly miss seeing your pretty smiling and cheerful face every time I've run into you at the school once in awhile. Thanks again for being the sweetest and most wonderful person in my life!! I am grateful for the many memories of laughs and fun times the both of us were able to share together. Wishing you all the best in everything you do and hope to see you around later!! #FriendsForever