Shannon Royal

After graduating high school, I attended a small liberal arts school in Milledgeville, Georgia for a year. Feeling pressured to choose a major, my decisions went back and forth between a pediatrician, hospitality, and education, until I finally decided on declaring myself as "undecided." Missing my hometown, I decided to transfer to Georgia State University in downtown Atlanta. I loved going to school in an urban environment. I finally decided on Middle Childhood Education as a major, and went through GSU's two year program. During this time, my family moved to North Carolina. Wanting to be closer to them and wanting a new environment different from where I grew up, I made a decision to apply for teaching positions in Greenville, SC. This was about halfway between Atlanta and my family's home. I went to a recruiting event in Greenville and then several interviews with principals from around the county. Two schools offered me a position, and I decided to take the one with students similar of those where I student-taught in Atlanta. I graduated in May 2006 with a B.S. in Middle Childhood Education and moved to Greenville the week after the graduation ceremony. Three months later, I began my teaching career....