Marika


 * Marika JoeAnn Rarey, 21 years old
 * Born in Columbus, IN
 * I am an only child. I live with my dog Mari (she's a Chigi, Chiwawa/ Corgi mix). I have a boyfriend named Aaron.
 * I would like to be an early Elementary Education Teacher (Grades K-3). My real passion is technology and would love to gear my career toward computers in education rather than the general elementary classroom.
 * I changed my major from pre-med (chemistry) to elementary education because the major felt right in my heart. I was capable of completing my chemistry major, however, I sat down and had a long talk with myself one day. I would much rather focus the next 13 years of my life (the time it would take to become a Pathologist) on my family and creating one of my own. Being a doctor is very time consuming and I realized that my focus would not be where I wanted it to be (family) if I were to become one. I made the right decision to change my major. I feel teaching is a profession that cannot be taught. Teaching is something that is natural to each person who is called to teach. Teaching students and in turn letting them teach me is one of the greatest benefits of becoming a teacher.
 * I decided to receive a CEL duel license because I am passionate about technology. The 20th century is very technology driven. Technology changes daily. Becoming a CEL duel license receiver will be an ever learning experience. Technology is where students focus their free time with devices such as cell phones, laptops, game systems, etc. Why not incorporate technology into the classroom? Students are interested in learning new technology. Being able to incorporate this into the classroom will enhance student learning because it will relate their out-of-school-life with their school-life.
 * Something interesting about you that no one in the class already knows is that I once fell onto a baton. I was watching the show Double Dare one day and they were doing a challenge called "Dizzy Bat". This is where participants take a bat, hold it to their nose, and spin around. They then try to walk across the room to do some sort of activity while being extremely dizzy. I just so happened to have got a baton for my birthday and I decided that I would do this challenge with them. Unfortunately, I began to get dizzy (hence the name) and I kicked the baton out from underneath my nose. Convently , it landed down my throat into my mouth. The only "minor" damage that it did was slice the roof of my mouth open and cut half of my hangie ball thingie off. The doctors said, once my mom rushed me to the emergency room because I was gushing blood out of my mouth, was that if the cut had been any closer they would have had to sew it up. So, the doctors just let me bleed out and applied pressure until the bleeding "subsided". As far as the hangie ball thingie goes, I must have swallowed part of it upon impact. My hangie ball thingie is now in a point instead of being rounded. Lesson of the day: when shows say DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME...don't do it! I also now have five tattoos, one of which is Marilyn Monroe's signature :)