Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. Mark Twain
Alright, so most of you know that I am passionate about many things. But right now, in the thick of my second week of teaching my thoughts and inspiration for this post are turned towards education. I just moved into the most lovely home where three other lovely roommates reside. Tonight I arrived home from a busy day at school and went to the fridge (naturally) to forage for food. One by one the roommates came together in our kitchen, snacking on Cranberry Seltzer and Waldorf salad and began a discussion. You would think that our chat would have been about the long weekend, the boys in our lives, etc. But I am impressed and pleasantly surprised that our mingle turned into a passionate discussion about education, politics, religion, inspiration and ambition. My roommate Rebecca shared some goodness with me that I will share with you. We were reflecting on our great teachers and their ability to inspire curiosity in the classroom. Curiosity in itself, is a sign of intellect. Of course as a teacher I have that desire. This teacher of the PS22 choir seen in the video below definitely has created a room full of believers. Most importantly, the students believe in themselves. That is the most beautiful gift a teacher can give to a student. Watch the expression on the faces of the children. They are so into the music. In an interview, one of the students said, "I was scared to raise my hand in class before. I didn't want to share what I knew...but then I thought, if I can sing a solo in choir, I can raise my hand and speak in class". What an exquisite lesson of confidence learned. Readers, I would love to know your thoughts and memories of your great teachers. How did they challenge you to accomplish great things? What did they do to lift your confidence? What teachers inspired you and why?
And also to my readers I want to say to those of you (hopefully most of you) who have tasted the fruit of having a dream, enormous or small, to you I say...Don't Stop Believin'!
Hi. Well, the blogger thingy asks me to describe myself. When I was a child I thought I was a super hero and I called my self the Hollinator. I had power over all of the neighbor kids...and thier pets. I grew out of that stage and became a wildly passionate Family and Consumer Science and Early Childhood Educator. I'm super adventurous, and intensely curious about everything. My guilty pleasures are cupcakes, cinnamon bears, and anything from a farmer's market. I'm obsessed with pearls and I prefer to spend my free time traveling the world. These are my stories.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
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