Life....

      What does it mean to be a teacher?  For those of you already in the profession you know it’s so much more than a job.  It’s more than a career.  It’s a way of life.  And this may sound a little corny, but I actually feel it’s a calling.  You don’t just wake up one day and decide to become a teacher.  It’s something that grows within you.  You can feel it in your bones.  At least that’s how it is for me.  In my twenties I never dreamed I’d be a teacher one day. Then after having children of my own, I knew it was what I was destined to become.  So began my journey into education, a journey that has become as much a part of my life as everyday activities like going to the grocery store or visiting friends.
It’s hard to explain to someone who’s never been a teacher what this life is like.  Teachers don’t just go home in the evenings and forget about their “job”.  We don’t have our summers off so we can “play” and “forget about school” for three months.  Wherever we go, what ever we do, we always carry our students with us.   We’re always looking, learning, and thinking, “How can I use this in my classroom?  Won’t my students be excited to learn about this?”  It’s not something we can “shut off” and to be honest, we don’t want to, it’s become a part of us.
For all these reasons and more, I’ve decided to start this blog.  Maybe I just need a place to ramble about how I feel, muse about new ideas I’d like to try, reflect on my experiences, whatever.  It’s a place where I can share my ideas/thoughts and welcome responses from others.