I am a teacher. A TEACHER! That's a pretty wonderful privilege.
I am a student, too. I learn, and then I teach. It's what I do. It's who I am. I love to teach -- to see kids light up (adults, too!) and to know I had some role in helping that happen. I am a midwife for knowledge and understanding.
Over the years, I have been a schoolgirl, a big sister, a mother of seven,
a homeschooling parent, a mentor, a co-op teacher and organizer, a classroom teacher in multiple subjects, a private school founder, a principal, a seminar writer and public speaker, a published writer, a newsletter editor, a yearbook adviser, a speech and debate coach, an online forum moderator, a tutor, and a grandmother. Yet, in all these, I've always been a teacher.
The dates of my blog posts show that I was busy on here for a couple of years and then dropped off. I blogged actively when I was teaching writing classes here in my home, mostly as a way to keep in touch with my students and their parents.
Then a small 'university-model' school started up in our church, led by a couple who are friends of mine. (In university-model schools, students are in class two or three days and home the other two or three.) Many of my students jumped over there, and I jumped with them. I loved the kids and was glad to be involved in my friends' new venture. As the school grew, my class load increased, as well, until I was teaching different subjects across multiple grade levels, five days a week, multiple complex preps. That is what has kept me busy (and not blogging, or doing much of anything else) for the last three years.
It was a good run, lots of good memories made, and I'm grateful for the experience. The administrators are dear, lovely friends who have been most kind and gracious to me. I expect I might feel a twinge of regret in the fall for not signing my contract renewal. But for now, well, now it is time for a reboot. I have decided to return to teaching classes at home. Turns out, I like that best. It's comfortable, cozy, homey. It's also flexible, focused, and efficient. I will be able to teach in my own way and adjust more easily to the individual needs of my students.
It might take a while to rebuild my client base again to its former level, but that's alright. I'll get there. Or not. In the meantime, I am excited about the thought of opening my front door to a new round of students in the fall!
