I AM a teacher

Education will probably be the most common theme in these posts, as teaching is what I do, as well as who I am. Literally. If you ask me about myself, the very first thing I will say is that I am a teacher. Although being a wife and mother are both important to me (as I love all my guys), they do not define me. In fact, although I dream about retiring as soon as I can, I am not sure if I actually would. OK. I may retire from teaching in this town and this state. I may even retire from teaching high school English. But quit teaching? Nope.

I have been a teacher since I was a freshman in high school. Really. Before I even went to college I worked in an after school program for elementary kids (they taught me how to use a pogo stick). I worked in a nursery for little kids whose moms were meeting with their social worker (they taught me I don't do toddlers). I worked in a first grade classroom (they taught me about tattling) and in a resource class for high school guys with learning disabilities (they taught me that school didn't come easily for everyone). I worked with college athletes who could play football or basketball (something I can't do) but could not write a complete sentence (they taught me to think about what was really important in writing).

Are you seeing a pattern here? I am. Although I have taught all these years, what has actually happened is that I have learned as much, if not more, as I have taught. That is what I love about teaching.  It is as much about learning as it is about teaching.

Or at least it should be.

Good teachers keep learning. How can we talk to our students about becoming lifelong learners if we quit learning ourselves when we graduate from college? I have been reading lots of books, articles, and other blogs about education and have some ideas. Keep reading to see what I think.