My Goals
Contingent upon my acceptance into the School of Education in February, I hope to do my teacher assisting and my student teaching in the Fall of 2003.  I am hoping to teach lower elementary students, but I would be happy with any age.  I look forward to being a teacher every day.  Kids are the future, and it is implicitly important that they are taught the skills that they will need in this world as well as the values that will make them happy, caring, empathetic, productive individuals who are aware of the world around them with its wonderful variety.  I also hope to teach High School History sometime in the future.

My Family
Family is very important to me.  I am very close to my parents as well as to my brother.  My parents are Daniel and Kimberly Stephens.  My dad was born and raised in Lansing, and my mom was born in California.  During her childhood, her family moved to Michigan where she met and married my dad.  They promptly moved back to California until shortly before my brother was born.  In 1986, they built a house in Portland where they have lived since.  My brother, Ben, is 22.  He has a two year old daughter, Grace. I have plans to add to this family when I get married May 17, 2003.  My fiance is Mark Meyers, of Portland also.  He is 23 and a Concrete Finisher.   In fact, that is how I met him.  I am a concrete construction laborer in the summer.  We met when we worked for the same company one summer.  We are eagerly anticipating our wedding and our new life together.