when (and if) i grow up

Today is National Teacher Day. Happy day to all of you teachers out there, whether you are of the working-in-a-school category or a teaching-outside-of-the-traditional-school category.

I'm not exactly sure where I am on my path to being/becoming a teacher. I feel that I haven't done much teaching lately, when it comes to my time with Pic. I'm working on it.

I have been lucky enough to have a great amount of teachers I've loved in my lifetime. This ranged from kindergarten to college. I've also been lucky enough to know a great many teachers outside of those teaching me, both in real life and here on the interweb.

I was three when I first declared that I wanted to teach. I reached a wall during undergrad when I wasn't pleased with my teacher education and when I was afraid to actually get up in front of a class and teach. I was offered something of a last-minute opportunity to teach, early in my grad work and I took it, hoping that I wouldn't throw up on my students the first day. My mom still laughs that I told her that it made me anxious to think that all of my students would be looking at me during class. (Yeah, I know. Where else did I expect them to look?)

I've been going back and forth (and down many side-paths) lately about where I'm going next as far as my teaching goes. I hope to figure it out soon (like, three months ago).

In the meantime, I'm grateful to all of the fabulous teachers I've had, both in my regular schooling and out. I'm grateful to know so many other wonderful teachers who are gracious in sharing their own methods and techniques. I'm also very, very grateful for this here interweb connection which has made it possible for me to really explore the ways and meanings of teaching.

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"The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young* minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards." --Anatole France

* "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young." --Henry Ford

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P.S. Speaking of teaching, check out the new link I've added in the sidebar for the Organic Sister's Unschooling Coach.