Friends,
I
created this blog three years ago because those around me promised that there
was great strength in understanding that I was called to teach despite the
struggles of cerebral palsy. The blog
gave me space to allow being a “teacher at heart” value. In
August my dream became a reality. I am a teacher! It’s been a while since I’ve posted to the
blog. It turns out that living my dream
doesn’t give me much time to write about it.
Next
week marks the end of the first quarter. It’s a time to reflect and celebrate. Many times on this journey I’ve expressed
that as someone who copes with cerebral palsy, it’s easy to feel as if the
world is just moving around me. This is
the first time in life that my position hasn’t been deemed temporary. There’s a true sense of relief in knowing
that my job won’t end next week. I
cannot explain how much I cherish the opportunity to go to work each day.
At
the same time the opportunity has me pressuring myself to be perfect. I’ve spent years reading about the art of
excellent teaching and striving to be like the mentors and friends who assured
me I was worthy enough to be called a teacher.
It took me about nine weeks to understand that perfect teaching doesn’t exist. I’ve put my identity into being an outstanding
teacher. Last week I shared this
thought with a fellow teacher who reminded me that being an outstanding teacher
will just happen naturally. I should not expect this just yet.
In
every book on the art of teaching there’s at least one chapter devoted to
reminding teachers that every student deserves someone who believes in
them. This is absolutely true but I
believe there’s more. We often fail to remember that eventually students will
become adults. I firmly believe that
adults also need people in our lives who remind us that we matter. We can't lift others if we aren't being uplifted.
This
has been an exciting transition but also has been very overwhelming at
times. I am extremely thankful to the people
in my life who have been a constant source of encouragement. You keep me moving!
As
I grow into teaching I hope that teachers and students alike know how much I care
about them. After all, caring for others is what makes life worth living.
Stay
inspired,
Julie
