Introduction 1 Week 1: Introduction Brandy Williams EDU671: Fundamentals of Educational Research Instructor: Kathleen Lunsford December 8, 2014

Introduction 2 Hello, my name is Brandy Williams and this is me and my Husband, best friend, and business partner, Frank Williams.

Introduction 3 These are our 6 amazing children. My oldest son is Alex, he is 13. My youngest is Moses and he is 4 years old. Our middle son, in the red polo, is Ace and he is 6. My oldest daughter is Brooklynn and she is 10. My twin daughters are Emma Hope and Audrey Grace and they are 8.

Introduction 4 This is my passion and hobby, as well as lifestyle. My family and I live on a 39 acre farm here in Dallas, NC. I inherited this farm from my grand parents and it is the same farm that I grew up on. We work the farm daily and have 36 head of cattle, both black Angus and Holsteins. We have 26 hogs, Yorkshire, Berkshire, and Tamworth. We have over 400 chickens and 200 ducks. We also raise Alpine and Nubian goats, as well as miniature donkeys. We also have 6 potbelly pigs that are just pets.

Introduction 5 I chose to pursue my Masters in Education because children are my life and watching them grow, learn, and explore is my absolute passion. I am currently taking a hiatus from teaching while I am pursuing my Masters in order to travel some and spend some much needed quality time with my awesome family. I have taught 2 nd and 3 rd grades as well as was a preschool teacher for 3 years. I have worked as a paraeducator for children with disabilities as well as an in home care specialist that trained CNA’s on how to use assistive devices such as chair lifts. I hope by obtaining my masters and then my doctorate I can eventually open my own private school with scholarship programs for special needs students and low income families with support from grants and the community.

Introduction 6 My most favorite teacher was Mrs. Heims, she was my 3 rd grade teacher. In 1987 I participated in Mrs. America Preteen, I came in 3 rd place and was super bummed out. My mother kept in close contact with my teacher during the week I was out of school for the competition. Mrs. Heims was so supportive that when I came back to school she had the class line up on the side walk and sing “Here she is Mrs. America”, she made me feel special. That teacher made me feel like even if I didn’t win it didn’t matter because I was still awesome. I try to instill the same confidence in my children and students. The worst teacher I can remember and I remember him well was Mr. Mims. He was my 8 th grade science teacher. He was always insulting and picking on the cheerleaders making comments about how unintelligent they were. I was very smart and always put forth great effort, but his comments were always very discouraging. I believe that a single teacher has the ability to shape and mold a child’s educational success in a positive or negative way that is why teachers are so important and they should be passionate about their profession. I really believe that teachers from birth through graduate school help to mold a students perspective on life and themselves, so make every word count. My Most Memorable K-12 Experiences and Their Impacts on Life and profession

"We are born weak, we need strength; helpless, we need aid; foolish, we need reason. All that we lack at birth, all that we need when we come to man's estate, is the gift of education." Rousseau, Jean-Jacques and Barbara Foxley (Translator). Emile: Or, On Education ( Jean-Jacques Rousseau – Quotes, 2012). Introduction 7

Introduction 8 Sources: Jean-Jacques Rousseau – Quotes. (2012). Retrieved from rousseau/quotes/