On the Journey: An Introduction

Every teacher has a unique journey into the classroom. Those who just graduated with education degrees and are entering classrooms this fall will have an especially unusual story to share about their transition from college to the classroom.

We want to document the journey of a new teacher and are partnering with Brianna Winiesdorffer to share her experiences as a brand new college graduate planning on a lifelong career in education.

In high school, Winiesdorffer didn’t necessarily know what she wanted to pursue in college. It was her friends who mentioned she might be a great teacher. She then pursued an education degree at Northern Arizona University and revitalized NAU’s club for pre-service teachers, beginning the NAU Educators Rising organization, while she was there. Winiesdorffer graduated from NAU’s College of Education this spring with a bachelor’s degree and dual certification in elementary education and special education. She also earned a Spanish minor and was named NAU’s College of Education Undergraduate Senior of the Year.

You might remember hearing Winiesdorffer on an episode of 3Ps in a Pod last spring when we talked with her about her excitement for joining the education community and her leadership with NAU’s EdRising chapter. Arizona K12 Center Associate Director Angelia Ebner called her a pre-service teacher “taking NAU by storm” in that episode.

We’ll be checking in with Winiesdorffer throughout the year, and you can find the pieces we’ve published so far below. We hope you’ll join us in following Winiesdorffer’s journey and welcoming her into the world of teaching!

On the Journey Posts

• An Introduction
• Graduating in the Midst of COVID-19
• Before Beginning a New Teaching Job
• Her Own Classroom
• Winiesdorffer's Why
• Beginning the School Year
• A Teacher 'Among Us'
• Welcome to the New Year
• Same Class, New Students
• Finding Guidance Through Mentorship
• Growing Through the Year