Beliefs into Action Blog Hop

Whitney from With Love from Texas set the challenge to stop and think about our education beliefs, what we feel strongly about and why of what the we do...

For me this meant thinking about my journey to become a teacher.

When I read other peoples stories, they all seem to include antidotes of having played schools with toys or siblings and pretending to be a teacher.    My story doesn't include any of that.

For me school was my safe place, it's where I felt I belonged, it's where I felt special, important and that I had something to contribute.  It's where life felt normal, when my home life was anything but normal.  It's where I received encouragement, validation. and acceptance.

I was the quiet child who didn't cause trouble, extremely introverted, was on the dyspraxic spectrum (although not known back then, everyone thought I just struggled to write and spell), who followed the rules, was friendly to everyone and was quick to volunteer to help the teacher if she needed anything, but so scared to do anything wrong because of what punishment might follow.

I only had one primary school teacher who ever figured me out  (I was 7), and I wish to this day I could remember her name.  That was the year I came into myself at school.  It was the year I learnt I had something to contribute, it was the year I learnt an adult would listen to me and tell me how smart I was.  It was the year I excelled.  I will always remember this teacher and how she made me feel, and I will be forever grateful.  She was a new teacher, we were her first ever class,  and she arrived at school full of hope of this new career and new ideas of how children should and could be treated, she believed in praise where praise was due, having fun with her class and handing out cuddles as needed.  She set me on my journey through school, and she instilled in me a love of books and getting lost in them.

My only other teacher who stood out for me was my Maths teacher, Mr Cook, when I was 15.  He was the next teacher who got me, and the first teacher to realize I had a knack with numbers and maths and a knack for explaining maths to my classmates in away they understood.  He also identified that my test scores didn't actually reflect my knowledge or ability, but rather they reflected my absolute terror of doing tests, and consequently my inability to remember anything in a test.  He quickly realized whenever he set the class work to do, I was finished really fast, so he stepped up the work I had to do (my only taste of differentiation) and he would then have me help tutor others so it would deepen my own understanding and knowledge.  Once again, this was a teacher who made learning fun (and he had been in teaching for many a year), he believed in finding a way of connecting with his students and engaging them in a lesson, and would use stories as a way of teaching.

So I tried to become a teacher when I was 17, I applied and was interviewed.  At the interview I was told they saw teacher potential in me, however only being 5 foot, I apparently, in their eyes, looked like a 12 year old and parents wouldn't trust leaving their kids with me and schools wouldn't hire me.  Therefore I was told to apply again in a couple of years....

Life took over, I traveled, married, and had two wonderful boys.  I loved spending time in their class as a parent help, but sorta felt teaching was out of my reach now.  That was until my youngest son went to school.  His first teacher (a wonderful woman) pushed me, and pushed me some more to attend Uni and get my degree.  So I applied, got in, attended Uni, and passed with first class honors!

Suddenly I was 42, and a teacher.  My education and life journey, my sons school journey, my sons journeys with dyslexia and dyspraxia, and being a sub, has influenced how I see teaching and what I should be as a teacher.



Well, that's me, it's actually been fun to stop and think about this more.  But I'm not the only one, there are 44 bloggers who are participating in this blog hop and just click here to hop over to the next blogger who is going to share their beliefs.

2 comments

  1. I love your comment that a classroom should be filled with laughter and learning! I'm so glad that you were able to find some teachers along the way who recognized your ability and helped you feel successful.

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  2. Your post was a really great read! Thanks for sharing part of your education with us too! I'm sure that has helped shape you to be an even better teacher to your students!

    Teaching Autism

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