Why Why Why?

I have been working with children most of my professional career. Yet it has never been intentional. I attended summer camp as a camper and loved it so much the natural thing to do was to go back as a CIT and then a counselor. From there i was convinced I should become a unit head and division leader. Everyone was always saying I have a gift relating to children and should become a teacher. I just smiled and said thanks, but I dismissed them thinking I was destined for bigger and better things. I pursued a degree in Marketing, I thought money would make me happy. That is what society taught me to believe.

Working in business was certainly not for me...the money was there, but the passion, caring, and ultimately happiness was not. I found myself heading up youth groups and other recreational youth activities in my spare time. Again I head from numerous people, you have a gift, you really should be a teacher. Again I smiled and nodded, I enjoyed working with children, but it didn't seem like a career. I wanted to do something HUGE.

I went to film school. Started working on films, hanging out with big name celebrities on the sets, started making connections...but again I didn't feel fulfilled. I was put in charge of the child actors that were extras on the set. The Assistant Director on my last film felt like I would be good with kids he said. I guess it was there and then I realized that teaching is what will make me happy, not big pay checks or hanging with movie stars. It seems to be my destiny. I moved to Portland and decided to apply to teaching programs and haven't looked back since.

I choose Portland because 1)I have friends here and fell in love with the place when I visited, and 2)It is an amazingly progressive city and has great variations from the traditional schools like the environmental and magnet schools. I was considering Lewis & Clark, Montessori, and Waldorf programs. Inevitably I chose Lewis & Clark because I thought here the possibilities are endless, where I would be limited with Montessori and Waldorf programs. I want to make a difference, I want to be part of the change that is needed, it's time for me to stop talking about it and start doing it.

I'm not sure if teaching is my final destination. I'd like to open my own school down the road, encompassing all the theorists' and my own philosophies and ideas (a lot of which we've learned about in this class), and eliminating the standardized testing and other things I don't agree with. It would probably have to be a private school seeing how in order to take government or state money you have to adhere to their testing and curriculum. This is down the road anyway I don't even know why I'm writing about it now. Must be ADD in which we'll be talking about on Monday.

In summary, I'm very excited to become a teacher. I'm loving the journey, this program, the classes we are taking, Lewis & Clark, my cohort, and Portland.