There is evidence of growth in education all around us.

Instead of using a chalkboard and chalk, students now use interactive whiteboards. Instead of using encyclopedias to look up facts, they use the Internet.

Also, students have the capability to talk with other students around the world by simply using a computer and a camera.

Education is changing, and I am excited about becoming part of it.

I grew up in Selma and always dreamed of being a teacher. I couldn’t wait to have my own classroom. I attended an elementary school that seemed huge. It housed kindergarten through sixth grade and there were roughly 550 students.

When I transferred to the University of Montevallo in fall 2007, I was excited to begin my first steps toward becoming an elementary teacher.

One of those first steps is to observe in a classroom for 40 hours. This was my first time in a Shelby County school. Walking into that kindergarten classroom, I felt exactly like the kindergartners who had made the same trek only a few weeks earlier — nervous, but excited.

The school housed kindergarten through third grade and more than 1,000 students. Also, the technology had changed greatly since my first day of kindergarten, 16 years ago.

I have now entered the Content Block phase of the Teacher Education Program.

I have learned that teaching is not all about coloring worksheets and playing with blocks. It’s about showing your students how much you care for them and the subject you are teaching. It’s about showing them they can reach their potential — no matter what.

My current placement is in the third grade at Valley Intermediate School. I have only been in the school for one week, but I can already see how much the teachers care for their students and want them to learn.

The students are excited about being at school and I am excited about being there.

I look forward to working with some of your children this semester.

Hailey Davis is a senior at the University of Montevallo. She is currently completing observation hours at Valley Intermediate School.