Check out my other blog HERE

Wednesday, April 6

Day 16 - What did you want to be as a child

Well, it all started when I was in 4th grade.  This kid named Christian Breed started doodling floor plans after lunch when our teacher would read to us.  I think his family was building or buying a home and he wanted to show us what the house looked like...I think (it's funny how we remember things incorrectly sometimes).  Anyways, I decided that it would be fun for me to draw a house plan of a home that I made up in my head.  So, I started drawing floor plans when the teacher read to us after lunch.  I did it every day for the rest of elementary school.  


I got into Jr. High and started spending my babysitting money on graph paper.  I would go to the library and check out floor plan books and search them for ideas.  I decided that I DEFINITELY wanted to be an architect when I grew up.  I loved designing floor plans!  Well, of course there's a lot more to architecture than making up floor plans on graph paper.  But I didn't know that.  


In high school as a freshman I decided to take a drafting class.  Here I was, a little freshman in a class full of junior and senior boys.  I sat at my own table until this pregnant gangster-wanna-be senior added the class and she sat at my table.  She smelled like cigarettes.  I was overwhelmed because everything I learned about drafting had nothing to do with architecture and everything to do with engineering.  I was painfully shy in that class because I didn't know anyone and was too intimidated to talk to anyone.  I felt like I was an inconvenience to Mr. Duty because he didn't really know what to do with me since I wanted to learn about drafting and architecture not drafting and engineering.  One day when I was lifting my drafting board from the table I dropped it and it slammed to the ground.  I remember Mr. Duty called me a klutz in front of everyone and I was mortified.  I decided then and there that drafting was definitely not my thing, and if I didn't like drafting, then I wouldn't like being an architect.  I decided that drawing floor plans and having a interest in architecture was a great hobby, but no longer a career path for me.  Granted, back in 1998 schools still taught drafting by hand and not on computers--I had heard of auto-CAD but had never seen it used.  I've been happy with the other experiences that have come to me by getting out of drafting.  I enjoyed drama and Spanish in High School instead.  


When did I truly decide I wanted to be a teacher, not until my Senior year, right before my mission.  Yup, I had practically taken all of my education classes at that point but still wasn't fully committed that that's what I wanted to do.  I still do online searches for floor plans when I'm procrastinating my homework.  I think I will always have an interest in architecture/home design/contracting.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

i remember when you would stay up drawing floor plans etc. and i think i told you once that you should go into architecture or something close to that field. but i'm glad you're teaching, you're so good at that :)

Mrs. Boojwa said...

Maybe you can hire someone when you build your own home, and they can teach you a thing or two :)