I was fortunate to have many years of actually being paid for doing what I loved–nurturing creative souls as they learned to love learning. Toward the end of my 34 year career, I experienced what this younger teacher discovered: all the joy was being ruthlessly sucked out of education. She expresses it well, and I am sure her departure from the field is a loss for students and families.
I can remember standing in my parent’s basement smothered in wood panelling and orange shag carpet with a dry erase board and my second grade math homework. I can remember lining all of my stuffed bears and hippos and whatever else into a strategic seating chart so they could all see the board and I could walk around “the classroom” to ensure each student was on task. I assigned homework and stayed after school to plan for the next day or at least until dinner was ready. Teaching has been my dream since I was cognizant of the fact that a career was possible for me.
I attended an elite teaching school in Colorado, took college credits in high school, made every career decision and personal to match the teaching timeline of my life.
Most recently, I moved back home with my parents, back to the shag carpet and wooden…
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education pathways 