Confessions of a First-Time Blogger

Okay...I will confess that I know next to nothing about blogging.  So, equipped with my copy of Blogging for Dummies, I attempt to try my hand at blogging.  Wish me luck!

I am in love with teaching, especially reading and writing.  There's something about children's literature and inspiring kids to love it, too that gets me to school every day to work in a profession that is only meant for those with a true calling.

Being a teacher is not what I aspired to be when I was a kid.  I wanted to make money.  I wanted to be in the business world.  In fact, I even earned a Bachelor's degree in Business.  But I was miserable.  It was an episode of "20/20" featuring Marva Collins that changed my mind and career path.  The show re-visited the students in Marva's first class (20 years later) from her school in Chicago.  These were all underprivileged students who were originally told by previous teachers and others in society that they were retarded and that they couldn't learn.  She taught them to be confident.  She set standards for them that were high.  She believed in them and helped them believe in themselves.  Because of her determination and love, every single member of that class was enrolled in college, and many aspired to continue on to law school or medical school.  I was forever changed by her story.  After that show, I decided to pursue a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education and never looked back since.

I never liked to read as a child.  I was a good reader, but as the text levels became more difficult, the more I struggled to comprehend.  I only read because I was told I had to.  I didn't care much about what I was reading; reading never took me to another place or sucked me in and kept me there.  I liked math and puzzles and logic.  I wish I had loved reading and didn't struggle with symbolism or vocabulary.  Maybe if I had, I might not identify with so many children who hate to read.  Maybe I can hopefully inspire my students to actually love reading and books.  Who knows?

For now, I will aspire to inspire.  And maintain a somewhat coherent blog.  I guess we'll have to see.