Ready or not, here I come

I am embarking on a journey that is full of mountains and valleys – both are the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. It is not a journey with many financial benefits, but the journey itself is what makes it worthwhile. On some days, as with all journeys, there will be storms of dark clouds, lightening that will strike me down, and winds that keep me from moving forward because of its strength. I will persist though. When I come up on an obstacle that looks too difficult to get around, I won’t give up. There will be days with the sun shining, birds chirping, and a celebration of achievement in my own journey as well as those around me. Imagination, creativity, and a sense of humor are keys to this journey. Although I may not see the difference I’m making on this journey until I am farther ahead and able to look back on the distance I have come thus far, it is still one that will be meaningful and possibly life changing.


This journey is called teaching. I will meet many amazing people along the way, through the other teachers I will work with, the students I will teach, and the parents I will meet. I will have the power to influence not only through education, but also in the care and attention I give students. Often people don’t remember what they learned in elementary school, but they remember the friendships they built and the way their teachers treated them. It may be that an elementary teacher inspired them to reach farther, to learn to love reading, or just cared about them in a way that they were missing out on. This is a job in which I will continue to learn, no matter how long I teach, not only through different methods of teaching, but also in discipline strategies, working with students with disabilities, working with students of great diversity, and many other ways.

Up to this point I have been watching the scenery from inside a car. I’ve been training for this journey. I’ve been collecting the tools and knowledge it takes to conquer this terrain. They occasionally let me out and test the land, seeing how well my training is going, and then I get back in the car. But I’ve now arrived to the edge of the vast land ahead of me. For a little bit I’ll have a guide that will make sure I get up when I fall down and show me where to put my footing as I climb the mountains. But then she will go on her way and I will continue on. Although I’ve been ready for this for years, the quest of the unknown is always a scary one. There is always a thought of getting injured and having to be rushed out of there by helicopter or to be injured but having to keep limping along. Although I have people cheer me on, saying that I will be great at teaching, it still seems like a huge feat that I’m just not ready for yet. But ready or not, here I come.