Now onto my Role as an Elementary School Teacher

A little over a year ago I attended a JCPS (Jefferson County Public Schools) job fair. 

    A need for substitute teachers had been communicated via the school board and someone had tagged me about it on Facebook.

    As far back as 1994, when I was a freshman in high school, I had mentioned my interest in becoming a teacher. 

    Unfortunately I didn't receive positive feedback.  

    "I wouldn't want to do that," 

   "Oh no, I wouldn't want to be a teacher," were the responses I got and that pretty much stifled my short-lived dream of teaching... way back then!

    

Of course I do not hold any grudge towards family members that offered their negative feedback at that time in my life. 

I believe everyone is doing the best he or she can at any given moment, that includes parents, grandparents, etc.

    And as an adult I'm far more tenacious than I was back then!  

    You have to be or what becomes of your life and dreams right?!

    

    We learn this with time and maturity, both of which aid greatly in gaining wisdom. 

Back to the Present:

    When my son was around 3 yrs. old I thought, "teaching would be a great option for me because I'd be on my son's schedule."

    I looked into going back to college to get my master's but quickly opted against that route for a variety of reasons. 

    Then along came this tag on Facebook and, long story short (there's a lot involved in getting hired with the public school system), I gained my emergency teacher certification thanks to JCPS and worked last year, just 2 days/week, as a substitute teacher.

This year I planned on subbing 3-4 days/week, only at my son's school (cool right?!) since he's entering kindergarten and I'll have more time to work.

The other days were (and are) to be dedicated entirely to my business and keeping up our home via cooking, cleaning, etc. 

    But sometimes life throws you a fast ball, and that's what happened 48 hrs ago to me.

    The principal of my son's school, a wonderfully educated and effective man, emailed me expressing an urgent and sudden need for a bilingual immersion 1st grade teacher. 

    The regular teacher had to travel back to her home territory, Puerto Rico, to deal with a horribly tragic family emergency: several of the men in her family were lost at sea while out fishing. 

    So, it wasn't in my plans to have my own class, full time, somewhat indefinitely but... I'm rising to the challenge and honor with great confidence and hope that everything will go amazingly well. 

Today I was picking up different seeds during my dog walks for an anticipated science lesson we'll do tomorrow. 

    -So I'm switching mind-frames you see. 

    In the grand scheme of things, my business, the service we provide, via The Paw & Feather Plan is my baby.  I'll continue to nurture and invest in my business so it continues to grow, as I feel that's my destiny... one I embrace and accept. 

    However, in the relatively-speaking 'short term,' the bulk of my energy and focus will be on my first grade class.

    I do not take teaching lightly.  If I did... I wouldn't even do it.

    It's a very serious responsibility.  

   As a teacher I have the power to influence children's lives for the better.  

    I have the ability to help them believe in themselves, realize and focus on their strengths, gain confidence, learn manners, learn self-discipline, learn how to interact with peers... and we're not even touching on the actual material we'll cover in 1st grade yet!

    So... what an awesome responsibility and amazing opportunity?! 

    Am I nervous? of course.

    Will I fake it tomorrow and act like I have everything under control? Of course. 

  I'll end with an analogy: I feel like a musician that does a rock album, and a jazz album- the proficient musician can effectively cover a wide range of musical influence and style.

And a quote...

How You Do Anything is How You Do Everything. 

-Original author unknown