Some of my students presented quite a few challenges, but that's where I honed my teaching skills. It wasn't always an easy job--even working with small children, but it was very rewarding. I got plenty of smiles, hugs, and kisses.
Recently, I've seen some of my former students. They are so grown up. :^) Talking with them and knowing that they've done well in life has been the biggest bonus of all. Obviously, I had a very small part in their success, but I was at the beginning--and that's an important place to be.
Do I miss teaching? Sometimes, but I have other responsibilities now and I always have my writing. I have been productive since I retired from teaching. I finished Daddy Wanted and got a contract for it. I finished The Pirate's Wraith and have been searching for a publisher interested in time travel. I have one third of Patriot's Heart written and hope the writing challenge of JerRoWriMo will speed my word count along.
I am grateful I was able to teach. There was never a dull day in the classroom and we shared far more laughter than tears. For anyone looking for a career, I highly recommend it--as long as you've got plenty of patience and a positive attitude. You won't get rich in a classroom, but the rewards will warm your heart for the rest of your life.
5 comments:
I wish you wuzz my teecher, maybe then I wooda learnd to rite bedder!
Sreiously, you'd make a great teacher, and I would have been the one with the crush on you!
Mark,
Ha! Very few four year olds ever had a crush on me. Mostly, they called me Mommy. Or Teacher.
I probably would have taught you to sing. :^)
Penny,
I have wondered if you miss teaching, and was glad to read this blog entry....what a great time you had and what a difference you made in so many lives! Not to mention the influence on your 3 lovely daughters!
Marianne Drake
After two years of subbing and writing, I'm going back to the classroom full time, and It's a little bittersweet. It's a tough, stressful job, and it's rewards aren't always obvious. Writing hasn't paid off (literally), but it is my true passion. Hopefully I can find the time around my classroom to still get something published like you. Good post.
Chris,
I subbed for one school year. I did not like it. I was used to having my own classroom.
Some people get lucky and writing pays off for them, but most of us writers need a nice steady job to support our passion. When I was teaching I usually wrote in the evening after supper--if there was nothing else going on, but in raising three daughters there was always something going on. I never stayed up late because I had to get enough rest to function in a classroom full of young children.
Somedays, I would get no more than a paragraph completed. Other days, I would write five pages. I just never gave up. It took me twelve years to get a contract for my first book--and it was an ebook. Nobody knew what an ebook was back in 2001. :^)
So keep writing. And someday, the kids you teach will tell you how well they're doing and you'll feel good knowing you helped them a little bit in their lives.
Post a Comment