My mom is one of my educational heroes. She grew up in a Catholic orphanage in Buffalo New York, moved on to boarding school, and was finally placed in foster care. She never lived in a real "home". School can become a refuge for kids like my mom. I think the educational and personal experiences my mom and others have shared with me will help me to be better aware of my students' lives and the conditions they face outside of the classroom. A teacher's words and actions have a lasting impact--either positive or negative--and I always want to strive for the positive. An educational hero is someone who believes in and fights for each student. I will always remember the teachers who I felt did this for me; they are part of the motivation behind becoming a teacher myself.
I am a perfectionist and hate making mistakes. I am trying to learn to be less critical and to enjoy the journey of trying new things rather than fixating on how incompetent I feel. Technology is one of those things I struggle with, so my goal this semester is to be open to learning new technological skills and to let my anxiety go. I really like the idea of bringing and fostering a "Spirit of Discovery" to/in class. I also liked the metaphor of learning to ride a bike. I guess we aren't meant to just hop on and ride; it may take the semester for me to master the concepts we are learning, but I did learn how to ride a bike and I actually still love to ride, so if I give it a chance, maybe technology can be like that for me too.
This is a great story and thank you for sharing it with me. I am excited that you have decided to go into the world of teaching and that you are going to make a difference in students lives...positive differences. I look forward to help you on the road to becoming a great teacher!
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