Tag Archives: Primary Education

Becoming A Teacher

I am a teacher.

How did this happen?  As I look back, I don’t remember ever aspiring to be a teacher.  I wanted to be a princess, a mermaid, then a writer, a poet, an artist, a doctor, a wife, a mother… I wanted most of all to be a leader; to make a difference.

In college, I toyed with the idea of several different careers.  I intended to go into the medical field because that was a great choice for a young woman seeking validation in a career.  I entered my first year of pre-requisites with gusto.  However, besides that fact that the smell of hospitals made me nauseous, the medical field just didn’t feel right. I loved the classes I took in drawing, design and art history.  I considered a career in commercial art but it seemed risky. Did I want to be a psychologist? How about a social worker? As I wandered and wondered, I encountered an array of individuals; some who were also searching and some who had found their passion.  Reflecting, I realized that the most influential people in my life, besides my parents, had been teachers.  Thus I found my passion too.  It was to lead and to make a difference in the world around me, one child at a time.

Through all the frustrations of working in a system that is clogged, clouded, and often inefficient, I have experienced great joy and satisfaction.  I have had the privilege of loving hundreds of children.  I have inspired smiles, knowledge, and confidence.  I have received hugs, notes of appreciation, and adoration.  I have listened to, taught and encouraged parents.  I have learned from my colleagues, shared with other teachers, and inspired innovation. I have made life-long friendships.  I have made a difference.

“The future of the world is in my classroom today, a future with the potential for good or bad… Several future presidents are learning from me today; so are the great writers of the next decades, and so are all the so-called ordinary people who will make the decisions in a democracy. I must never forget these same young people could be the thieves and murderers of the future. Only a teacher? Thank God I have a calling to the greatest profession of all! I must be vigilant every day, lest I lose one fragile opportunity to improve tomorrow.”
–Ivan Welton Fitzwater

Quote found at http://www.nea.org/grants/17417.htm

Feeding the Dinosaur

Hello there!  I have been an educator for over 20 years and a dreamer for many more. Throughout the years that I have fed children’s minds and hearts, I have made observations and engaged in research.  I have watched and participated as educational fads came and went and then came around again.  I have read a myriad of inspiring articles and books.  I have viewed and led inspiring professional development helping teachers implement international, research based, best practices only to be thwarted by… the dinosaur.

As I pondered the American educational system, its history and my experiences, I came to a conclusion.   Public Education as we know is a DINOSAUR.  We work with an antiquated system of organization, governmental restrictions, and requirements that are the antithesis of research and what all good teachers know in their hearts and heads about kids and learning.  The demands continue to increase while the children suffer. Daily I observe practices that confound me as an educator, a parent and a tax payer.  So, to redirect the frustration, I decided to share my musings in hopes that we as educators can “Make the change we wish to see in the world.”

RT