Confessions of an Old Teacher

When I was a kid I idolized my teachers.  I thought they knew everything and I wanted to be one of those people who would lovingly impart knowledge to the masses.  I wanted to be an educator.  Diploma in hand and great aspirations in mind, I set out to teach.  I was going to change the world, but . . . as you probably already know, I was in for a rude awakening.  When I walked into my first classroom, it was incredibly evident that I was far from all-knowing and that the one who was going to change was me.

I have learned a few things along the way.  Here are a few words of wisdom from an old teacher:

• Remember to laugh.  While telling a story to my kindergartners, I was thrilled that I had caught the attention of a notorious wiggler.  The more animated I became, the more closely the child paid attention.  At the end of the story her hand shot up and I couldn’t wait to hear what insights she had reached.  I called on her – eager to hear her thoughts.  With a big smile she replied, “How do you get those lines on your face to do that?”  I replied, “Years of experience, sweetheart!”
• Expect the Unexpected.  It was the evening of our PTA performance and my students marched up on stage.  Dressed in their kindergarten finest, our class was to welcome the audience to the performance.  The speaker calmly walked to the front of the stage, pulled her dress completely up over her head, spun around, lowered the dress, and then competently shared her lines as if nothing unusual had happened.
• Use teachable moments.  Roxy, a little yellow canary, lived contentedly in a pink cage in our science area.  After finishing a group math assignment, I sent my students to their small groups to solve a problem.  While they were working intently, I opened Roxy’s cage door to quickly slip her some fresh water.  Roxy decided to take this opportunity to escape and began to fly laps around our class.  This great group of kids worked together to help me capture our flying friend and return her safely to her cage.  We abandoned our math lesson and the children created one of their best class books entitled Roxy’s Great Escape.  My favorite page ended with these words – artfully spelled by kindergarten hands – “and Mrs. Pernell was so ashamed.”
• Celebrate the “aha” moments.  After decades in the classroom, I have found that the thing that excites me the most are the little “aha” moments.  When a child makes a connection, independently reads a book, solves a math problem, or writes a sentence – those are the moments to celebrate.  Those are the moments that keep me inspired.

Fast forward 35 years and I am still teaching – and more importantly – I love learning.  I guess it’s because I have found that there is so much more for me to learn.  I can tell countless stories, have watched the educational pendulum swing back and forth, and have taken part in implementing countless programs, but the thing that inspires me most is the pure joy of learning.  I want that to spill over, so that I can share that joy of learning with my students.

“Learning should be a joy and full of excitement.  It is life’s greatest adventure,” – Taylor Caldwell

Even old teachers can learn new tricks!

At ERG we believe the best way to take care of our students is to take care of our teachers.  When we are inspired to learn, so are the students we teach.  We plan to make this a year of daring greatly and are eager to fuel the passion for learning.  We want to encourage you to share what inspires you.  Send us your stories and the ideas that spark your love for learning.

https://www.myedresource.com/a-year-of-daring-greatly-with-erg/