Forgive me for repeating myself, for I’m sure I will.
Throughout my blogs, I have shared that I have only been a teacher for six years. I have also shared the fact that I come from a family full of people who work or have worked in the education field. It’s been in my blood my whole life, but I never wanted to indulge it’s itch.
And, yet, I have. I realize, as I end this blog series, that I have always been a teacher. I taught my children to be good humans as best as I was able. I have taught children and adults about the love of my Creator. I have taught as a substitute, an AVID tutor, and a creative coach. I have always taught in one way or another.
I have always been a teacher, but I never truly wanted to be a traditional teacher in a traditional classroom. I have openly admitted I entered into this career as a necessity to survive after my divorce. That being said, I have always given my job more than a hundred percent of myself. I was raised to give everything I do my best effort. It’s engrained in me and it’s how I operate. That is probably what makes me a perfectionist, but operating this way has helped me accomplish teaching goals I didn’t know existed.
I would be lying if I didn’t admit there have been several times when I was ready to quit this career and do something else. Truthfully, my dream is to write full time. That will come, but it’s not to happen for a while. I have felt too old to be barely starting into the one true career of my life. I have felt like I was cheating the system because I went through an alternative program for my certification whereas my beautiful daughter went the traditional route and worked hard to earn her certification. She truly was born to be a teacher. No one does it better than she does! She has no idea how she inspires me to be a better teacher myself.
I’m not one for politics, so I won’t go into the reasons why I never desired to be in the traditional classroom. I will, however, admit how much I love each and every kid in the room. Even all the stinky middle schoolers that walked through my classroom door the last five years. I love when conversations are ignited and I can learn more about them through the perspectives they share. I love the heart fourth graders are not afraid to show people. I love their eagerness to be better humans. I actually love spending most of my day with them.
The students have a contagious energy I love to grab onto. Together, we have an amazing time and turn Reading and Social Studies into lessons we want to learn.
I use to define myself solely by my writing. After all, I breathe best when I write. Now, I also proudly define myself as a teacher because my students make me proud to be one.
