My Opus
"Dad, I want to write a movie script. It's going to be about a great teacher who helps kids." I was sitting in the newest room of the house that my dad and all of us were building. It wouldn't be finished for another six years, by which time he'd been working on it for about fourteen years. My parents, along with their six children under ten, moved into the first underground rooms a week before I was born. We didn't have running water for the first few weeks, relying on a hose connected to the neighbor's spigot fifty yards away.
I was in the living room on the main floor, with its dramatic vaulted ceiling and red brick fireplace reaching through the roof. I had vividly imagined the script, daydreaming about it during my own classes. The teacher, a man, would single-handedly turn a demoralized school around and win the affection of the townspeople. I probably had watched "Mr. Holland's Opus" not long before this idea. This was my first experience romanticizing education, imagining myself as the male teacher, or at least giving voice to that teacher through my writing.
"Excellent idea, Kirsten!" my dad responded encouragingly. "I'm sure you could do that if you put your mind to it."
I never wrote a single line, but the ideas about teaching and changing children's lives for the better always stayed with me. And I'm happy to say, I've been able to do that in many ways.
My journey working with students began as an exchange student in Peru. During my year at Unified Studies, I met Ane Marie Johanssen, an exchange student from Denmark. We became good friends, and her stories inspired me to seek my own exchange experience. Determined, I spoke with a high school counselor about options to go abroad my senior year. He introduced me to the Rotary Club exchange program, which was perfect for me due to its affordability and excellent track record. I applied and was accepted! Although initially, there was talk of Scandinavia, I was thrilled when the state office confirmed I was going to Peru!
In the second half of my year in Peru, I substitute taught at an English language school as a 17-year-old. The school was thrilled to have a native speaker, and I loved working with the students and classes learning English. I will no doubt talk more about my experiences in Peru again.
Later, as a college student in the teacher education program at Brigham Young University, I heard about the chance to work with Unified Studies as a student teacher at Orem High School. They were piloting a program where teacher education students would work with Unified in a year-long internship to spread its unique approach as we became teachers nationwide.
I was excited every day to work with Cheryl and Sid in a professional capacity, and a bonus was that my sister was in the class that year! My major was Social Sciences (History, Geography, and Anthropology), and I intended to minor in Recreational Studies but fell short by a few classes. At Orem High, I spent every other day with Unified and the rest teaching a U.S. History class for one of my former teachers, Mr. Gillespie. I also assisted Sid with a recreation class. More about the year I spent with the original Unified Studies will come out as I talk about the first year running the program myself.
