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•My mom had a list of names prepared for my arrival. The list consisted of Alexandra (similar to my grandma, Cassandra) , Alexis, or Brianna (after my dad’s late brother, Brian).

•I was born and was put in the NICU with no name except “baby girl”.

•My mom hadn’t seen me in 24 hours after I was born. They wanted her to fill out the birth certificate but she just wanted to see me. She quickly decided on Alexis.

•The meaning of my name on meaning-of-names.com is “helper; defender”.

•My mom did not have a plan for the middle name until my great grandma suggested my mom’s middle name, Marie.

•So, my mom and I share a middle name. If I have a daughter, I hope to pass it to her as well.

•I am always getting called Alex, Alexa, and Alyssa.

•Because my name starts with an “A”, I often get accidental calls from people because my name is at the top of their contact list.

•I was the only Alexis in primary school and elementary school. I did not know of/ go to school with another Alexis until middle school.

•My youngest nephew is named after me- Alex!

•Lex & LaLa are my nicknames!

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One of my favorite characteristics is my ability to be happy no matter the situation. I feel like this is something that will help me as a teacher. When times get tough I am often smiling and trying to spread joy to others. I want to be in a positive environment, so I feel like if my smile can encourage someone else to smile, eventually we will all be smiling. I think that it is important to not be happy ALL of the time and to embrace other emotions. But smiling is my favorite.

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For my 21st birthday, my grandparents gave me a set of "big girl pearls". When I look at them I am reminded of how supportive my family is. They never fail to tell or show me how proud of me they are. One of my favorite teachers from high school once told me that every great teacher needs a pair of pearls!

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My privilege is growing up with a supportive family. While we have gone through so many obstacles, we have fortunately gone through them together and come out with stronger relationships in the end. This is a privilege because many people do not get to experience this type of family dynamic. Some people grow up with a small family or an unsupportive family, but I am blessed to have so many "cheerleaders" in my life who would do anything to help me.

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I believe that my cultural bias is lack of exposure to other cultures. I grew up in a majority white county. Many of my classes growing up looked like this photo below. Since I did not grow up with much experience to other cultures and religions, I feel like that makes me bias to them. Now I try to overcome this bias by learning about others beliefs and values.

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As I was reflecting on a time where I felt discomfort in a cultural situation, I was reminded of my first day at Rockbridge Elementary School. I felt cultural discomfort when with a large group of diverse students with different learning needs. When I walked in I was surprised at how diverse the class was. I felt discouraged when my CT told me how low the students were academically. She then told me how far they had come from the beginning of the year. This was one of the most diverse classes I have worked with and I learned so much from the students and my CT that semester.

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My family's values and beliefs are strongly rooted in education. I learned from an early age that school is important. I was taught that you must work hard and go to school to succeed in life. I do not resent being raised with these values because I agree with them. I hope to teach my future students the importance of education.

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This is a screenshot of my phone. I utilize these apps daily to keep up with the people in my life. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) many people go to social media first to express struggles or celebrations. Especially because I work in ministry, I try to stay up to date with what is happening in people's lives.

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I live with my 2 nephews and 1 niece. They love to read and I am so thankful that I get to be part of their literacy practices. This is a photo of me and my youngest nephew, Alex, reading a Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell book. My niece and nephew are in fifth and fourth grade, so they don't always want to read with me. However, they love looking through all of the books I have saved for my future classroom library. I love to buy them books as gifts.

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My favorite book is "Looking for Lovely" by Annie F. Downs. This has been such an important book to me this year. I have experienced many obstacles in 2017 and this book has been such a comfort in hard times. I love the back story of how I acquired the book. My boss went to college with the author and bought the book to support her. She read and loved the book and has let others borrow it. She lent it to me this spring and I fell in love. I couldn't keep the goodness to myself, so I ended up sharing the book with my best friend. You can see that this book is well loved.

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I struggle with taking risks. In this picture, I was hiking with friends and they jumped a river and walked uphill to this cave-like area. I do not like to take risks and I feel like that holds me back from experiences. I feel like this could affect my cultural growth because I may be hesitant to try something new that would allow me to better understand another culture.

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I believe that my strength is in literacy. I have been collecting books for years and love to find new ways to incorporate them into lessons. I love to read and want to encourage my future students to find their love for reading as well. I believe that by offering a bountiful classroom library, it will encourage students to try different genres of books to find the right book that will start their love for literacy. I also believe that students should not be tied down to a certain level of books. It is okay to let older students read pictures books, and younger students can experience chapter books if they are interested.

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I am Alexis Marie Norville
I am a lover of happiness
My family keeps me going
I am loved
Reading is knowledge
Knowledge is power
I am an educator
I am Alexis Marie Norville