The area where I grew up is much like Dahlonega and Lumpkin County. In Northwest Georgia in Chattooga County, the places and the people are very similar to here. Its a rural place and I lived in a rural area out in the country that provided a great place to grow up. My brother, my sister, and I, other than our mother, are actually the first members of our family to go to college. My family, for generations before me, all stayed close to home and usually worked some kind of labor job. The small, rural town I grew up only offers so many work options. Unless you worked a farm or on one, the only real work in Chattooga County is in either the rug mill or cotton mill. These jobs, while providing some income, did not lead to riches to say the least. This way of life, and places like Chattooga county, are a dying breed it seems. With manufacturing being outsourced, and agriculture on the brink of being completely taken over by corporations, these rural towns are drying up. Most people in Chattooga county have to either work out of town, in bigger cities, or work minimum wage jobs around home. In saying all this, growing up where I did shaped who I am. Growing up in the country, the pace of life has always seemed to suit me. My personality has always been laid back. I do love to travel and see different places, but I know where home is. My values were shaped by this place too. Right from wrong has always been instilled in me, and treating people right goes right with that. I was always taught to treat all others as my equal and help whoever I can. To me, this is the biggest reason for me to become a teacher and coach. I feel like I can take what I have, and where I come from, and by using the two, help others thrive and succeed.