Realizations: Part 1

Did you ever have a moment, while talking to someone, that a mess of thoughts and feelings, which have been swirling around in your mind, connect themselves and form a concise idea, that you then share out loud and experience an epiphany?

This actually happens quite a bit with me. I am a "feeler" first. I feel something in my spirit and then later can put two and two together. Apparently my mind does this for me without intention at times.

Since I was 16, I wanted to be a teacher. My experiences in school gave me the desire to see each child as a wonderful, gifted human being. To help children discover who they were, by learning what questions to ask of themselves and how to listen to their spirit, in order that they may experience the confidence that leads to positive interaction with others and their world.

I realized recently that I have been a teacher almost my whole life. Beginning with caring for my siblings when I was 9 during summer vacation, to homeschooling my own children.

Until recently, I didn't have a "piece of paper" defining who I was and my abilities as an educator.
Definitions can be limiting as well.

I am such an "all or nothing" person. When I do anything, my whole heart is involved. My respect for the unique lives of the people around me coupled with my ability to listen and understand others, then turn that into encouragement for them feels like a calling.

My desire as a teacher, either at home or in a classroom, is to enable a human being to be a wonderful human being.

In a discussion of grades and my son's anticipation of how we would feel about his report card, I caught myself saying, "reading and writing are important. Though, the most important thing is that you are a wonderful human being to be around."

My son needs to know grades do not define you. They are merely a gauge set up by others; a measuring tool. What matters most is that he is a compassionate guy, aware of his neighbors and their needs and willing to be part of the answer.

So, when I get reports of my son extending invitations to the lonely at lunchtime and about his being a joy to teach, I smile. Aside from being a proud Momma, I've seen this little man in action and use these reports as affirmation that I am not being too biased.

He is a great kid!