(Image from www.thechangeblog.com)
Ever since I was a kid,
I have always wanted to be a teacher. My
life path changed due to unforeseen circumstances, but just like everyone who
trusts in God’s plan my path was redirected and I am now back on track. I am thankful for my husband’s continued
support and belief in me, because we all know there have been times when I have
just wanted to throw in the towel, and stay with the clerical route I am
already on. With all of this being said,
I am so fortunate to have the continued support of my family, friends, and
fellow educational leadership seeking classmates. This faith and support have allowed me to become
so excited about my future career. With
this excitement comes a deep, burning impatience, the impatience of wanting to
be in my very own classroom, with my very own students. This impatience has allowed me to realize I
have finally figured out who I want to be, and where this want came from. After having experienced 26 years of lessons
learned, educational leaders who lifted me up, and educational leaders who at
the time I thought pushed me down, I have finally found the educational leader
I want to be. I will take all the pieces
of every teacher I have ever had and I will use the pieces to put my personal,
educational leadership puzzle together.
(Image from www.truevined.com)
When putting a puzzle together there are all types of
pieces. There are pieces that have an
image on them and when you look at them you can immediately see the entire
picture. Then there are pieces that have
filler images on them, and when you look at them you have no idea where they
might fit or where they might go in the bigger picture. All of my educational leaders have these
qualities in them themselves. For
example, Mr. Rogers, my favorite teacher of all time is the first puzzle piece
listed. When I look at him I can see one
of the smartest, quick-witted, very well put together, men I have ever
met. His image stands alone on a puzzle
piece that fits very well into the educational leadership puzzle that has
become who I want to become. On the
other hand, Mrs. Evans, my least favorite teacher is most definitely a filler
puzzle piece. I have no idea where her
outlandish ways or religious principles fit into my puzzle, but I know that for
some reason that piece belongs in my educational leadership puzzle as
well.
(Image from www.gcmeyers.com)
Now that I have painted the picture of an educational
leadership puzzle for you, and what I believe mine consists of; I have decided
that I want to be the best educational leader I can be. Right now I have no idea what type of
classroom I will be in, and I have no idea what type of school I will begin my
journey in. However, I do know from
personal experience with my own teachers that I will not always be loved, I
will not always be liked, but I will always be respected. Mr. Rogers wasn’t always the most popular kid
on the block, but he was always respected because he demanded it. In demanding this respect, I grew to love the
man because he was one of the greatest leaders I have ever had. His educational influence is one that I will
always look back on, and even on random Wednesdays there are times when I think
about him, and wonder what he may be doing.
I can only hope to reach half of the students he has reached and to
influence their lives in the same way I know he influenced mine and my
classmates. He had some way of making me
want to be better, and to try harder. I
can only hope that I can make my student’s burn with that type of desire for
learning. I want to be the type of
educator they can look back on and know that my classroom is where they became
the student that wanted more, or the student that almost went down the wrong
path, and that one reading/life lesson changed their outlook and they became
the student on the right path. I can
only hope that they will remember me in a positive light, and that I will have
given them every ounce of energy I have in the classroom, and because of this,
their experience in my classroom will be etched in their mind.
(Image from www.sodahead.com)
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