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Hi everyone—welcome to class! I’m Dr. Cat Matthesen, and I’m excited to be your instructor this semester.

This is my 7th year teaching at Cochise College, and I usually teach education and reading classes. A little about me: I have two sons, Michael and Jacob, who both work at a coin shop in South Dakota. Jacob is married to Kylie, and they have two kids, which makes me a proud grandma!

When I’m not teaching, I love staying active—going to the gym, hiking, biking, and camping are some of my favorite things to do. At home, I have a sweet little dog named Ginger (she’s a Chihuahua/Terrier mix).

If you ever have questions or need help during the semester, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We can always set up a time to meet in person or on Teams. I’m looking forward to working with you all this semester!

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My name is Laura. This is my third semester at Cochise College. I am working on my Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education. In this class, I look forward to learning how different aspects such as the government, finances, and law and ethics effect schools today. I have seen already firsthand with my own children how things such as finances may affect the school systems. I am a single mother of 4 kids who all attend school here in Sierra Vista.

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Hello everyone! My name is Anna, and this is my second semester at Cochise College. I am working toward my Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education, and I am excited to continue learning how to become the best teacher I can be. I also work as a kindergarten teacher, so my days are full of energy, laughter, and lots of tiny voices! Teaching keeps me very busy, but it also inspires me to keep learning and growing. I am excited to learn about everything EDU201 has to offer this semester. In my free time, I enjoy reading, listening to music, and watching Disney movies.

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Hello my name is Elizabeth LaValley, I go by Lizzie. I am a Lead Teacher with Head Start in a four and five year old classroom. I have been a teacher at Child parent centers for about 9 years. I love working with children and learning from them as well as helping them develop their own thoughts and visions. I have 4 children of my own that vary in age from 15 all the way to 26. I am also a grandma to a very active 4 year old boy. My youngest child is an avid basketball player, which means you can often find me at a basketball court. Taking this class I hope to further my knowledge and understanding in various aspects of education.

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Hey there! My name is Jackelynn Chon, I'm currently working as a Special Ed paraprofessional, I'm perusing my Elementary Education associates degree. I have a Medical Billing and Coding degree but later in life, I found out that being in a classroom full of kids that laugh, have imagination and many more things is way better. Excited to see what this new degree has for me, looking forward to applying all the new knowledge from this class and willing to receive all the information.

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Hi! My name is Tori. I am 28 years old with a 4 year old little boy. I am almost complete with my degree. I have 8 to 10 more credits after this semester. I am working on my Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education. I am excited to take this class as i very much enjoyed Intro to Early Childhood Education and really felt like i learned alot. I am excited to see how much more i can learn in this class. In my free time i am a mom who works and spends her days caring for her kiddo.

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Hi! My name is Victoria Peralta, I am 19 years old and this is my second semester here at Cochise college. I’m pursuing an associates degree for Elementary Education. I am very excited to take this class as it will get me a step closer to my goal and help me learn and understand more on how to become a successful teacher. The reason I choose Elementary Education is because I have been surrounded by children all my life and really enjoy just how amazing they are, and just how we can teach them they can teach us. I would really like to become a teacher that makes a good impact in children’s lives. I currently have a part-time job and recently applied to become a substitute teacher so I can be closer and get the feel of being in a classroom. Fun fact one of my favorite hobbies is photography.

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Hello! My name is Jaqueline Martinez, but I go by Jax. I am a sophomore at Cochise college working towards associate degree in Early Childhood Care and Education. I'm excited to learn more about the education system through this class as that has always been a special interest of mine. i am especially interested in the law and ethics aspect of the education system. I want to know the ins and outs and history of the education system so I can learn how we as teachers can be better for our students. I want to be a teacher because I want to teach and be a safe space for children. I enjoy reading, listening to music, and making art in my free time. I hope we all have a good semester!

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Hello, my name is Janeth, I am 17 years old, and this is my first semester at Cochise College. I am pursuing an Associates Degree in Elementary Education. I'm looking foward to comprehend the social and philosophical development in U.S. public education. I'm hoping to learn how a profession in teaching is like, and I am very excited to be in this class. Becoming a teacher has always been my dream. I hope I can become someone that inspires others to become better. I am really imperative, and I like to keep myself busy. I like to help others and I also play softball.

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Hi everyone! My name is Camila Leyva, I am 19 years old, and I am a sophomore at Cochise College. I am currently working on my bachelor's degree in Psychology, but my dream has always been to become a teacher. I am excited to be taking this class, as I would love to work towards an associate's degree in Elementary Education in the future. What I want to learn about in this class is how to create a classroom environment where learning is fun, meaningful, and exciting. I would especially like to learn how to connect with students in a meaningful way and different teaching methods that are engaging for all students. In my free time, I enjoy going on walks, cooking, and organizing. Looking forward to a great semester with you all!

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Greetings, I am Jennifer Vaquera. I am the proud mother of two young adults, Juan Carlos and Karen. For the past 26 years, I have been happily married to my loving husband, Juan Antonio. My career in education spans a decade, during which I have held numerous roles in both classroom and administrative environments. In addition, I have a beloved pet, a nine-year-old Labrador Retriever named Toby, whom I dearly love with all my heart. As I look to the future, I aspire to deepen my understanding of leadership and legal matters. In summary, I wish to express my genuine excitement and profound happiness to participate in this EDU 201 course with all of you, under the guidance of Dr. Cat.

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Hi everyone, I am Maria Senaida Parra I am 28 years old and I am very excited to begin my journey in studying education. This is my second time pursuing a degree at Cochise college and I am very excited. I chose to begin my studies in education because I worked for the DUSD school district as a long term substitute teaching 6th grade math and I fell in love with teaching and making a difference in the lives of children. I took some time off from school and work because I became a mom in 2023 to a beautiful baby girl who is now inching her way into her terrific twos. Another reason I am preparing myself to become an educator is because it is one of my goals to teach at the same school my daughter will attend in the future.

I am very excited to get back into school, notes, discussions, and homework even though I am sure there will be days I will feel as if I want to pull my hair out.

I hope you all have a great semester and I am looking forward to learning and working with you all.

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Hello everyone! My name is Alexis. This is my last semester at Cochise College. I am getting my associates in early childhood education. I am a stay at home mom. I have 2 children, my son is 4 and my daughter just turned 1. I used to live in Sierra Vista, but i moved to Oregon 3 years ago.

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Hi I am Paulina Santacruz ,I like to study in Cochise collage and I would like to graduate with my bachelors degree to become a early education teacher ,and also help students with their language and hopefully help them to understand and speak well the language .I have always wanted to become a teacher and making my dream come true and make people to see that dreams can become true if you porpoise .Hopefully in this class I hope to understand every concept and do well in this class and improve a lot in skills.

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Hi, my name is Sawyer Fech and this is my third semester at Cochise College. I am from Canada and currently playing baseball for the Cochise Apaches. I am currently in general studies but want to transfer and take kineseology at a 4 year program. After I complete my degree in kineseology I want to take another 2 years of school back in Canada in order to get my degree in Education where I want to teach high school. In this class I am looking forward to learning how different the USA is compared to the education system in Canada.

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Hi everyone! My name is Jamora Haynes. I'm 19 years old and this is my third semester at Cochise. I'm going to college to get my bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. I have always loved working with kids and have known since I was little that I wanted to be a teacher. For some kids, school is the only place where they feel loved and safe. I cannot wait to be the person who makes these students feel loved and safe. During the summertime, I work at a summer camp with kids ranging in ages from 4-16. Right now, I work as a server while going to school to get my degree. Im excited to apply all of the things that I will learn in this class to my future career.

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Hi everyone!

My name is Diana Gombins, and it's a pleasure to be sharing this class with all of you. This is my second semester at Cochise College, and I’m currently working toward my associate in general studies with the goal of becoming a social worker in the near future.

A little about me: I’m originally from New York City and moved here with my family three years ago. I have two fun kids and energetic 11-year-old daughter and a lively 3-year-old preschooler who keeps me on my toes every day!

I absolutely love a good cup of brewed coffee and enjoy traveling with my family whenever we get the chance. I also appreciate a nice dinner and a glass of wine to catch up with my girlfriends on those much-needed “Mommy days off.”

Looking forward to getting to know all of you this semester!

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Hi everyone! My name is Maria Dominguez, but I preferred to be called Lupita. This is my second year at Cochise College, I'm here because I wanted to get my bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. I'd like to learn a lot about Education. I've wanted to be a teacher ever since I was little, and now I'm convinced it's my professional dream. I'm so excited to learn so much in this class. I love the idea of teaching everything I'll learn this semester and beyond. I loved working with kids, sometimes I work as a babysitter and help them with their homework's, spending time with them and that helps me a lot. About my personal life, I like to dance, I dance in an studio and I love being there all the time. I love cats; I have 6 cats and they are very special for me, I also love to paint; I paint sunsets and landscapes. Those are the things I've been most passionate about my life, and hopefully in the future I can be in a school teachings kids.

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Hello, my name is Alfred Brinker, and I am currently attending my third semester here at Cochise College. Primarily, I learn at the Douglas Campus, and I am currently majoring in music. After Cochise, I plan to transfer and get a 4-year Bachelor's Degree in Music Education. This year, I am a Student Government Association (SGA) officer at the Douglas Campus, and I work as the secretary. I would love to get to know you all, and I hope everyone here will have a good semester.

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Hello, my name is Heather Hamilton, I'm 30 years old and a mom of two 8,9. They keep me busy along with all my animals. I am pursuing my Associate's in Early Childhood Education. I will be graduating in December of this year. which I will be transferring to a Bachelor's in Elementary Education. I have been working in the school system for 3 years in special education as a paraprofessional. This year, I have decided to take a step back from the school system and homeschool my own kids.

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Hello! My name is Adrianna Aguirre and I look forward to learning a lot from this class. My major is in elementary education. I plan on pursuing my education to a university after I graduate from Cochise college. I love playing softball and hanging out with kids. No one else but a kid will ask you what your three favorite colors are. Conversation with kids are very interesting at times. I hope to learn everything I need from this class and I plan on always trying my best. I hope I learn a lot about the care of children and how to be a good teacher.

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Hi everyone, my name is Janet O’Neal. I’m finally returning to school after 11+ years as a stay-at-home mom. We are a military family, and for the last 17+ years, we have followed my husband worldwide.  I have truly enjoyed living in all the different places the military has offered us. I’m continuing my degree in elementary education. I am passionate about gardening, reading, and learning something new. I’m a busy bee, and I must always be doing something. I’m a little nervous about returning to school, but I hope for a wonderful semester.

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Hi! My name is Hannah Allee. I am 18 turning 19 in 10 days, this is my third semester here at Cochise. I just changed my major to elementary education last semester. I have always had this dream of being a third grade teacher and I have finally decided that I didn't want it to be a dream anymore and finally pursue it. I have never really worked with kids before or even been around them until two years ago and that really pushed the thought of me being a teacher into a reality because I realized I love it, being around them and watching them and helping them grow into who they are. I am an avid reader, reading is one of the ways I destress. I also just picked up line dancing, I was a competitive dancer for most of my life until my back was injured, line dancing was a way for me to continue doing what I love. I am so excited for this class and what I will learn in it!

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Hello everyone my name is Liam. This class is being taken for my Master’s in Elementary Ed. I look forward to learning lots.

I often wear graphic tees.

-Liam