Name: April D. Blair EDU 695: MAED Capstone Instructor: Dr. James Young April 26, 2016

The Blair Wedding April 20, 2012 This year we will be married for 4 years And together for 8.

My personal interest is sports. I love them. I have even played in the top level of competition. My goal is to become a teacher but to also become a coach in either women's basketball or softball. I am a retired Marine of 20 years. March 2016 marks my one year of retirement. I have really just been trying to focus on school but I did get a teaching job as an adjunct teacher at a private college. I received my first degree here at Ashford in Healthcare Administrations so this is what I am teaching along with basic courses. I recently applied for a job as an assistant teacher which I think is great because while I am working to complete my MAED I can get my feet wet and into the doors of the education world. I have been teaching at the college for almost a year. My husband is a Dr. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Biometrics and he also teaches at the college. He is inspiring me to move forward with my degrees and to keep challenging myself. In the Marine Corps I wore many hats over the years. I was Administration by MOS but I also was a Marine Corps Martial Arts Instructor and a Drill Instructor. My last assignment was as an Executive Assistant to a Commanding General(s), I had three all together. This was a challenging job but also one of my greatest experiences in the service. I served in four combat tours (3) in Iraq and (1) in Afghanistan. My husband also was in the Marines but took an early out. My personal experiences and my interest

GRADUATION (BA IN HEALTHCARE) OCTOBER 2014 SAN DIEGO, CA

Gunnery Sergeant Blair’s Retirement Ceremony November 19, 2014 Gunnery Sergeant Blair’s Retirement Ceremony November 19, 2014

APRIL D. BLAIR USMC RETIRED 20 YEARS 3/01/2015

I am going to school for my MAED. My goal is to one day run my own Head Start. Right now I am hoping to get my feet into the doors of education so that I can see what goes on in the inside. I am that person who wants to start at the bottom and do every position to the top just to know what people are supposed to be doing and how to do it. I do not want to be that person that says “what is it that you do?” I want to know what my employees are doing and why. I have given myself 8 years. By the time I am 50 years old I want to have made major accomplishments before attempting to open a business. I really did not know that I wanted to teach. I wanted to run my own hospital hence the BA in Healthcare but one day I had a dream that I wanted to influence young girls and show them that nothing has to stop them and that the only person in the way is “you.” This dream seemed so real, so I called Ashford back up and said I wanted to change my degree program to Education. I plan on continuing my learning and one day obtaining my PhD. I think for me having a MAED will take me places. I am a member of the Troops to Teachers program and this is to help get military members in to the classroom and helping them get a job in education. Even then, many of the teachers I know now only have a BA. I feel that me being a 20 year veteran and holding a MAED will take me far. Again I applied for a job on Camp Lejeune for the fourth grade. I hope that this will give me an upper hand. I can say that no matter what I will keep learning and training. I think education is important even if it is just refresher courses. I hope some day to get that HS program up and running. What position I hope to get and my future endeavors

MILLER MOTTE COLLEGE CNA CERTIFICATION 2015 That’s me

APRIL D. BLAIR I WOULD LIKE TO TEACH ANY GRADE, GRADES K-8 AS WELL AS COACH A SPORT EITHER IN MIDDLE SCHOOL OR HIGH SCHOOL. CURRENTLY MAKING PROGRESS TOWARD MY END GOAL, BY GETTING A STEP INTO THE DOOR OF EDUCATION AND TEACHING COLLEGE STUDENTS. I CURRENTLY TEACH MEDICAL ASSISTING, MEDICAL BILLING AND CODING AND MEDICAL OFFICE STUDENTS AT A LOCAL COLLEGE. IN ORDER TO TEACH AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL WHERE I AM YOU HAVE TO HAVE AT LEAST A BA IN AN AREA OF THE HEALTH CARE FIELD AND WORKING ON A MASTERS IN ORDER TO WORK AS A TEACHER. I CHOSE MAED SO THAT I COULD MOVE ON TO WORKING WITH YOUNGER CHILDREN.

INFLUENTIAL DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THIS WAS MY LAST CLASS, EDU671 AND 675, BECAUSE THESE TWO CLASSES WERE DEALING WITH OUR ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT. THE CHALLENGE I EXPERIENCED WAS TRYING TO FIND THE TIME TO GET MY AR IN AND DO MY WORK FOR MY CLASSES AND DO THE WORK FOR MY STUDENTS TO HAVE ON A DAILY BASIS. I HAD TO STRUGGLE A BIT WITH TIME MANAGEMENT WITH TRYING TO JUGGLE SCHOOL (ASHFORD) AND MY JOB AS WELL AS CHILDREN, FAMILY, AND SPORTS. I AM STILL LEARNING THE PROCESS OF LESSON PLANS AND RUBRICS AND SOMETIMES ONE CLASS CAN TAKE ME 3 HOURS TO BUILD A LESSON FOR THE WEEK. I WISH I COULD SAY 3 STRAIGHT HOURS BUT IT COULD TAKE 6 IF I AM HELPING MY STUDENTS IN TUTORING OR JUST IN GENERAL. I OVERCAME MANY OBSTACLES BECAUSE I KNEW I HAD TO DO IT. I LOST SLEEP BUT IN THE END I KNOW I HAVE JUST ONE MORE CLASS TO CONQUER AND I WILL HAVE EARN ANOTHER DEGREE. I SACRIFICE FOOD, SLEEP AND TELEVISION TO GET THROUGH THE TOUGH TIMES. DURING BOTH OF THESE CLASSES I FOUND MYSELF BEING JUDGMENTAL AND THROUGHOUT THE COURSES I LEARNED TO BE MORE PATIENT AND UNDERSTANDING WHEN DEALING WITH AR AND THE PARTICIPANTS. I LEARN TO FOCUS ON THE DATA AND NOT TRY TO GET PERCEIVED NOTIONS ON WHAT TO EXPECT.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” (Maya Angelou). Maya Angelou This is the most inspirational woman on the planet, for me at least. She is not just words in a book, or a poem or even a face to see. Her words are so inspirational to me. Maya Angelou is so well accomplished and she never asked for anything in return. She seemed so humble and just to read her biography and know what her life entailed and the struggles she went through only inspires me to want to read make other people happy. This is what teaching is, inspiration. Inspiring young minds to aspire to be someone, a productive part of our community and our society.

My favorite food YUMMMMM!!!! If I were shipped wrecked, I would live on Captain Crunch. No milk required……….