Mommy's Project 52: 1 Teaching

This first subject is one that is near and dear to my heart. I grew up teaching... my dolls, the pets how to be nice to each other, my little brother. While in college, I wanted to study to be a doctor, but did volunteer work at a deaf and blind school and in adult ed. While being an army wife for a brief time, I tutored others as I took classes myself.

When I grew up finally, I went back to college to become a teacher. I spent 6 years in the public school system, in which I learned that teaching is not an action but is a coaching position. I have embraced the fact that children need to learn through discovery and touching things. They also need to form their own concepts and their own ideas or we have just filled their heads with what they call useless garbage. I had learned to "teach" my students to be independent thinkers who can and will do what is expected of them. I taught by answering questions with questions or a point in the right direction to find the answer. I "taught" students who would wait on you to give them the answer, because "they were to dumb to figure it out for themselves and I knew everything" how to figure the answer out for themselves, and yes as the men in waiting for Godot, waited for it, I too would sit and wait for their answer. With praise, I would tell them what they got right and question them to fix what was wrong.

I have entered a new phase in my life where "teaching" is not teaching other people's kids how to be independent thinkers, but teaching my own children. Yes, this means that I will have challenges and have to look at the bright side, it is still the same lessons of life I am trying to instill in my kids that I have instilled in others before them. You have to think for yourself, no one can do the thinking for you. If you don't know ask questions. You have to do your own work, because no one will help you unless you help yourself. Finally, after we start thinking for ourselves and doing what we need to do in life, then the academic lessons can be learned.

Teaching to me is not about dictating what to do, it is about leaving an impression of how to survive in this world on your own. The ultimate teacher does more learning in a year than she does teaching. Go teach someone something and see what you learn!