Joelle Paulsen

Hello! My name is Joelle Paulsen and I am a pre-service teacher. I am studying elementary education and special education at CUNE. I am currently a junior and I plan to graduate in May of 2016.

Along with school, I also work at a child development center with children aged 5-12. I love getting to be around kids everyday after school! This is the second child care facility that I've worked at. I also started babysitting when I was just 12 years old, so I have had a good amount of experience with children so far.

My parents are both educators (so are some of my aunts and uncles) so they definitely sparked my love for children and education at a young age. I can't imagine being in any other career!

I have one sister who happens to have Down syndrome. Because I have lived with her my entire life, I feel that I have gained a great amount of knowledge that many of my peers don't have about individuals with special needs. My sister has also taught me a lot about life and especially about patience and understanding.

My ideal teaching job would be in a 4th grade classroom at a Lutheran school. However, I plan to stay home and raise my own children (until they are all in school full time) before I start my career as a teacher.