#LoveTeaching

I have spent the past week doing some self-reflecting and thinking as to why I love my profession.  I found myself going back to my childhood and thinking back to the teachers that left a print on my heart. I found myself smiling when I remembered how caring and friendly my 2nd grade teacher was, so much so that I still haven't forgotten. I then remembered Mrs. Page, my elementary school art teacher.  I have such vivid memories, I could still describe where each art supply was stored in the room 30 years ago.  The reason I remember Mrs. Page so well was because she awakened my passion for crafting.  She took art way beyond markers and crayons.  She taught us needlepoint, cross-stitch, and how to make latch-hook rugs among many other crafts.  My love of reading I believe started in 3rd grade when I would rush through my classwork to have enough time left to run to that colorful SRA Reading Laboratory box and pick a new story to read.  I flew through books and read more and more as each year passed, but it wasn't until I met Ms. Nazzaro and Mrs. Long, two of my high school English teachers that I realized how transforming and moving a novel could be.  These two teachers were so passionate about the novels we were reading that they would practically take on the personality of the characters in the books.  As a student, I fed off this excitement and passion and became a life-long reader.

Teaching gives me the opportunity to continue to surround myself with the same buzz and excitement for learning. I feel the same enthusiasm when working with my colleagues in search of the best way to craft our lessons.  Because we all want the same thing, to see our students' eyes light up with the very same excitement we once felt when we discovered something new or mastered a concept.
Looking back at all these childhood memories makes it so clear to me what I truly LOVE about my profession.  It is knowing that I have the power of leaving a print on one of my student's hearts or awakening a passion or interest that they can cherish for the rest of their lives.  It is a profession that goes beyond the walls of a room or the content in the textbooks. It is a profession that goes beyond the school day and the school year. The students that are entrusted to me each year are never forgotten.  On the other hand, I find myself often wondering, years later, where they are in their journey and hoping they have found that very thing that drives them to success.