https://padlet.com/jgarzaarc/ftd9ynkwe21i7r9t en-us 2022-09-20 22:38:27 UTC 2022-09-20 23:17:31 UTC hello@padlet.com jgarzaarc https://padlet.com/jgarzaarc/ftd9ynkwe21i7r9t/wish/2305767927 I grew up in the small town of Halifax, Massachusetts and attended Halifax Elementary School. School came easily to me and I am a people pleaser, so my teachers liked me and I moved through uneventfully. I loved my second grade teacher, Mr. Touhey, who had the most engaging lesson plans. Two that really stood out to me were his units on dinosaurs and especially his worm unit - I still look for the worms every time it rains!]]> 2022-09-20 22:48:26 UTC https://padlet.com/jgarzaarc/ftd9ynkwe21i7r9t/wish/2305767927 jgarzaarc https://padlet.com/jgarzaarc/ftd9ynkwe21i7r9t/wish/2305769574 Jr High was when I lost all of my confidence in myself. I transitioned from a small elementary school where I knew everyone to a regional jr. high where we changed classes for every subject. I knew almost no one on my "team" and struggled to find a friend group. I still did very well in school but my academic experience during this time was fairly unmemorable.]]> 2022-09-20 22:51:21 UTC https://padlet.com/jgarzaarc/ftd9ynkwe21i7r9t/wish/2305769574 jgarzaarc https://padlet.com/jgarzaarc/ftd9ynkwe21i7r9t/wish/2305771233 I had a good experience in high school, buoyed by making friends through sports teams and music classes. My most memorable teacher from this period was my high school anatomy and physiology teacher, Mr. Dixon. He really encouraged me. I specifically remember him telling me how I had a skill for memorization, which I believe is the first time I'd ever heard that specific of a compliment from a teacher. When I think back to my favorite teachers, Mr. Dixon is at the top of my list! ]]> 2022-09-20 22:54:12 UTC https://padlet.com/jgarzaarc/ftd9ynkwe21i7r9t/wish/2305771233 jgarzaarc https://padlet.com/jgarzaarc/ftd9ynkwe21i7r9t/wish/2305773133 I loved my time at UConn! Go Huskies! College was a super important time for me because I felt like I could finally define myself outside of the shy girl that everyone described me as in high school. I became much more confident in interacting with people. I did well in college, but did have one terrible experience that stands out still. My first semester freshman year I took a computer programming class, and just did not understand the material or see any relevance to my life (it was a required class). Looking back, I wish I had spent much less time stressing about getting everything exactly right and spent more time trying to grasp some of the material. I think this is the first class I took that really challenged me and where I failed to live up to my expectation that I'm basically always able to get a "A" without trying too hard.]]> 2022-09-20 22:57:32 UTC https://padlet.com/jgarzaarc/ftd9ynkwe21i7r9t/wish/2305773133 jgarzaarc https://padlet.com/jgarzaarc/ftd9ynkwe21i7r9t/wish/2305774526 I earned my doctoral degree in Environmental Health. This was definitely an interesting time to reflect back on. My main memory of being challenged during this period was from the first time I turned in a draft manuscript to my advisor and got it back full of red ink! I thought I was a complete failure! (Eventually I did get that manuscript published, and learned a ton about writing in the process). This was a time when I really started to learn about teaching as well, as a teaching assistant, head teaching assistant, and section leader in various undergraduate courses.]]> 2022-09-20 22:59:49 UTC https://padlet.com/jgarzaarc/ftd9ynkwe21i7r9t/wish/2305774526 jgarzaarc https://padlet.com/jgarzaarc/ftd9ynkwe21i7r9t/wish/2305779826 The summer after I graduated from UConn I decided to try to earn some extra money by teaching for Kaplan. This required a course to train to teach for them. In about the second class I had to give a practice lecture, froze, broke down in tears, and left the program. I was sure I would never be able to teach in front of a class of people.]]> 2022-09-20 23:08:32 UTC https://padlet.com/jgarzaarc/ftd9ynkwe21i7r9t/wish/2305779826 jgarzaarc https://padlet.com/jgarzaarc/ftd9ynkwe21i7r9t/wish/2305785561 I had an amazing opportunity to give a presentation at the PREMUS (PRevention of MUSculoskeletal disorders) conference in Angers, France in 2009. I was terrified to speak in front of a room of senior scientists and practiced endlessly. The presentation went really well, and for the first time I actually enjoyed speaking to an audience. I've gone on to present at numerous conferences etc., and now I can give presentations without hardly practicing, but I love remembering this first experience.]]> 2022-09-20 23:17:31 UTC https://padlet.com/jgarzaarc/ftd9ynkwe21i7r9t/wish/2305785561