Sheryl Crow sings "the first cut is the deepest"--the truth extends to blogging...kind of. While the first post of a blog is not the deepest per say, it sure is the hardest. Ergo, my title: you have to start somewhere; anywhere. What do I write? How do I write it? Who is my target audience? After pondering said questions, I've decided I have the same answer to all three: it doesn't matter and I don't care. Not to say I don't care about the issues I'm writing about of course, but I simply do not wish to slave over the particulars. This blog is mainly for me, but it is certainly open for others to experience and, hopefully, learn from.
We are all teachers. We teach others patience, kindness, hatred, frustration. We teach tenderness and love, pain and heartache. Mothers and fathers teach children life. Children teach mothers and fathers sacrifice. The only difference between paid teachers in the education system and every other human being on the planet is about $100,000 in debt in schooling and coursework (and, obviously, the end result of a degree). So why have I decided to take my already basic skill of teaching and turn it into a career? I have no other answer other than the cliche "I want to make a difference." I want to change a student's life. Notice how I write student, singular, rather than students, plural. Sure, it would be inspiring and rewarding to impact the life of multiple students, but one is enough for me. If, in the future, I can cause one student to realize he or she is special, able, talented, and worthwhile, my life will be complete: I can die a happy woman. "Change" does not fluctuate by quantity, only by personal dedication, forgiveness, and acceptance.
Right now, while I am a teacher by birth and nature, I am still a student; a frustrated, poor, confused, and tired student. I entered college as an undergraduate Creative Writing major. Creative Writing? What in the world can you do with a Creative Writing degree? ...
So I switched into Education. I always knew I wanted to become a certified teacher, but my pocket and peers told me otherwise. I wanted to enter a career with promise and a large paycheck. Who doesn't want these two things? Who doesn't want to live comfortably enough to travel, indulge, and live large? I still do, but I've come to terms with reality. It's not going to happen. What I will have in the future, however, is peace and gratification. I know I will be excited to go to work every day. I will never work in a cubicle, and I will never answer phones and take messages. I will never be accountable for me, myself, and I only, and I will never be alone. I will also have the wonderful chance to apply my 16+ years of schooling and not throw it to waste. While the content I learned in middle school/high school might remain irrelevant, the experience definitely will come in handy. We were all students. We are all students. I was a student, I am a student, and I will become the future, boss, mentor, and counselor my my students. I will have more than one family...legally. I will have my personal family, my husband, my children, and my pets (dogs, please). I will also have a professional family. I will be able to rely on my fellow staff, my administrators, my students, and the families of my students. I will network in endless ways that will form countless valuable relationships. My life will be a rich one.
English. Writing, rhetoric, literature: you name it, I enjoy it. There is something about the importance and creation of language I cannot ignore. In fact, I feel so deeply English spawned the birth of all other subjects and happenings. Nothing can be without words. Nothing can express without language. Nothing can be learned without read and written communication. While I am firm in my beliefs about English and its power, I am not denouncing the importance of other subjects. A well-rounded student is a strong student. By studying and being dedicated to the multiple subjects in basic schooling, a student can become a powerhouse of knowledge. I believe it is necessary for a student to gather information through one subject and combine it with other subjects' information to, in essence, create a large databank of stringed-together learning power. This sounds confusing, but is essentially what all students do without even a second of thought. We all implement the skills we learn from one area into others. We compare, contrast, group, and separate individual pieces of information. We weave a web of knowledge that grows continuously until we take our last breath. Learning deceases with the body: no sooner.
This Friday marks the first day I will actually observe within the walls of a school as students' superior. Needless to say, I am on pins and needles with anticipation. I am both nervous and exhilarated with opportunity. I have been placed into an English class at Columbus' Whetstone High School. After researching the district a bit, I've found I am being thrown into a district completely than what I am used to. An urban city school? Not something I am even the slightest bit familiar with. My high school was upper-class, not diverse, and a bit pretentious. Pretty much everyone looked the same, acted the same, and there were few student based disputes. Detentions were given for silly things such as tardiness, uncovered books, and failure to complete homework. Most everyone (if not everyone) successfully completed their proficiency tests and OGT tests, maintained a solid GPA, and graduated on time. While Whetstone has a state standardized "Excellent" rating, their economic and diversity statistics are much different than Revere's. I am not saying I am unhappy with this difference, for I am anything but. I hope to eventually teach in an urban school, so this will be the perfect first step on my journey to become an educator. Ohio University's education program has made use of the RUC (Rural Urban Collaborative) program and it is now required for all Education majors. Summed up, the program places students from rural areas (i.e. Athens, OH) into urban school systems for their observation hours (i.e. Columbus, OH). Ohio University is not the only campus to do this. While we (OU students) will be traveling to Columbus, Columbus-based students (for example, OSU Education majors) will be traveling to rural areas like Athens. At the end of our quarter and observation hours, we will gather together at a designated location for a Symposium. We will listen to speakers and share our observation experiences with each other, therefore gaining knowledge about both rural and urban school districts. This program used to be optional and students could choose whether to participate or just obtain hours at a local Athens school. I think it is a wonderful opportunity for all students and am personally thrilled it has become required. The ability to step out of one's comfort zone and gain experience is a great one. Comfort is a flaw: discomfort is a virtue.
I think if I write another lengthy paragraph Blogger might explode, so I will continue to update after each Friday school day. I look forward to writing, and I hope at least one other person looks forward to reading.
Until next time!
-Katie
