What Being a Teacher Has Meant to Me

For the past three years I have been retired but working at my job in a part-time position.  I have made the decision to fully retire in order to pursue other interests that are developing in my life.  This decision has made me take some time to stop and reflect on what my career has meant to me.  I have loved being a teacher, and I have gained so much from my profession.  Here are some of the things that have meant the most to me.

1.  Relationships with students
          I have taught a lot of students over the course of 35 years, and one thing has not changed in all this time. I love working with kids.  Kids are funny and interesting and challenging.  I have learned as much from them as I ever taught them.  I am thankful for the work I do at Camp of the Woods that will enable me to continue to have relationships with kids.  I will also add that in my years of teaching 4th grade I think the greatest relationship-building activity I did with students was to read aloud to them every day.  In that time we shared common stories that we could continually revisit.  We discussed issues brought out in the reading. We shared an emotional bond as we laughed and cried together.  Many times I've had former students tell me, "I remember when I was in your class we read Where the Red Fern Grows (or any number of other books)."  Finally I'll tell you this.  Sharing a book read aloud is not the same as watching a movie together.

Reading to my class back in 1991

2.  Time to work/Time to play
          Although the school day can be long and hard and can often extend well beyond the 3:15 dismissal time, teaching has afforded me meaningful work balanced with lots of time off.  Since Phil and I were both teachers we had the benefit of both of us being off with our own children during breaks and during the summer.  Teaching allowed us time as a family to travel and enjoy each other's company while at home.

3.  An outlet for creativity
          One of the things I've enjoyed most about teaching is being creative in sharing information with students, and also giving students creative ways to share what they learned.  In my years at Sequatchie County Middle School and Griffith Elementary some of my favorite projects were the musicals we produced each year, the wax museum project that continues as a tradition to this day, and the Under the Sea project which included an "underwater research laboratory."  As the ACE teacher at Griffith I loved engaging the students with music and storytelling.  My favorite project as the drama teacher was the detective unit that I did each year with third graders.

4.  Outstanding students
          For the past 14 years in Bledsoe County, I've had the privilege of teaching some of the best and brightest students a teacher could ask for.  Many of them have gone on to careers in law, medicine, education, engineering and other professions.  I have enjoyed every minute of Science Olympiad participation, especially trips to the state tournament at UTK.  My favorite project with my ACE students has to have been our Bead for Life project.  No project I ever undertook touched so many important ideas and benefitted more people both here and in the far reaches of the world.

5.  Colleagues I cherish
          I have had the privilege of working with so many wonderful people.  Many of these teachers are life-long friends.  Even though I rarely see many of them these days, I still feel connected to them and count them as important characters in the story of my life.  I raised my children along with theirs, and had many of their children as students.  I will never get over all the positive things that have been added to my life because of these cherished colleagues.

6.  Continual learning
          As a teacher you always have to be learning new things.  When I began my career the only technologies we had in the classroom were film strips and reel-to-reel films that arrived at the school monthly.  I was one of the first to get a "21st Century Classroom" in Sequatchie County, and I found all of that very exciting, including a cutting-edge (at that time) project called "Marsville."  But technology was not the only avenue I pursued to maintain my educational skills.  Three times I had the great opportunity of attending the Tennessee Arts Academy on the campus of Belmont University.  Those three weeks developed my skills as a storyteller and enriched my life more than anyone will ever know.

7.  Pure joy
          There's something great to be said about getting to do something you love, and something that seems to be a perfect fit for all your interests and abilities.  That's why teaching has been such a source of joy in my life.  I feel that I landed in the perfect career for me, and I have nothing but gratitude for all I have gained from my life as a teacher.

My final field trip with this outstanding group of students