Why I do this Job...
The best job in the world I can think of is teaching. It’s the only job I know of that combines acting, research, social work, law, politics, accounting, writing, nursing, and stand-up comedy. A little bit of everything! And it never gets boring!
Ever since I was little, I liked to play “school”. There was an old blackboard in our basement and I used to write “lessons” on it all the time. It was fun “planning” my lessons and helping my “students” (usually my cooperative parents, semi-cooperative siblings, or uncooperative pets) practice their cursive and sums.
What I learned when I “played” school was that school can be fun, and I still believe that today. In fact, I truly believe, we can meet State and National Standards and not lose the inherent fun there can be learning.
You see, I compare it to taking a long driving trip. What’s the best way to get from Point A to Point B? What are some fun stops along the way? Standards are like a road map, pointing out the direction toward our final destination, but the best part of the trip just might have been that slight detour to see the “World’s Largest Ball of Twine”. And like any good navigator can appreciate, one of the best compliments I think I could hear is, “Wow, we’re there already- class is over”.
Today, the most fun parts of teaching for me are still the planning and presentation required in teaching. I love researching different teaching techniques and planning how I can use them in my classroom.
Although organization is not one of my strong suits in my personal life, in my professional life I’m almost compulsive. I like the routine of school and the order that can be created in the classroom. However, I also like the fact that every day is a new day and a new lesson is a new beginning.
Finally, as any long-distance driver worth their salt will tell you, flexibility is critical to success. Education is no different. I believe that flexibility in the classroom embraces the concept that learning is different for different learners. And as a means to this end, I most enjoy teaching to a range of abilities and learning styles. After all, where would be the fun in always taking our trip by car? How about a plane? Or a train? Or even a dirigible? If variety is the spice of life, than I believe it must also be the foundation of a good education.
