Pragmatist
Pragmatist

Something....
Wed Mar 12 2003

I have a friend who uses me as her grammar guru. That was always my best subject in school, then Latin. Algebra is still a foreign language to me.

Anyway, it got me to thinking. A painful process sometimes. :-)

My husband wanted me to get a teaching credential so I would have a career in case anything happened that he couldn't take care of the family. I told him no way would I ever be a teacher, especially after hearing his complaints about the system. He loved teaching, and he was a great teacher. His aim was to teach his students to THINK! He didn't pour a bunch of dates and names into his history students. He gave them causes, asked them to think about what happened and why it happened. I hated history until I married a history teacher.

I already had a career, and it did take care of the family when he died. But then I changed careers. That's a story for another day.

Anyway, after our grammar session today, I began to think that maybe I could have been a teacher. I told my husband that if I ever taught it would be art on the college level. But I'm wondering.... After I retired I did some volunteer work with children, and found it most rewarding! I especially like the little ones.

I did have success with teenagers because I was always straight on with them. I found out when my kids were growing up that if you tried to do a snow job on them, you immediately lost your audience.

However, I think I could have been a very successful kidergarten, or first-second grade teacher. Children at that age are still eager. About 3rd grade they become questioning, contentious, prove it sort of intellects. At the kindergarten level I could have been a goddess right up there with Mommy: She Who Knows Everything.

I can see myself sitting in one of those pint-sized chairs and reading to or telling stories to the little darlings. I could still do it, too, because I never grew up. I still marvel at the world. Even with all the terrorism and hatred and misery, I can still rejoice in the beauty of God's handiwork. And children are such a beautiful example of that handiwork.

Maybe I should have been a teacher.

Shalom

6 Comments
  • From:
    Yetzirah (Legacy)
    On:
    Wed Mar 12 2003
    Maybe you ARE a teacher !
    :-)
  • From:
    Ozone (Legacy)
    On:
    Wed Mar 12 2003
    I have always wanted to be a teacher, and when I finished college, I just could not face another year to get my credentials. After 25 years in the Marine Corps I felt that I needed to mellow out some before that. At this time, because of the stupid, self protective, unionized rules here I will never teach here. I figure that I can teach in other ways. I have helped friends with tutoring their children, and I try to teach in my diary. I will say though that there is nothing in this world that can make a person feel worthwhile than teaching a youngster something that will benefit them in their life.

    I really appreciate your comments (in your e mail). It is nice to meet another grandparent here in DD.

    Shalom and Aloha.
  • From:
    Sezrah (Legacy)
    On:
    Wed Mar 12 2003
    at last, i have found somebody else who has never grown up, much like myself :))
    the thought of you being a teacher makes me smile, i think you would make a very good one, you'd have much wisdom to share and i know you'd challenge them to think

    sez
  • From:
    JustAnotherBeth (Legacy)
    On:
    Wed Mar 12 2003
    Maybe you are still a teacher even though it was not in the way you 'expect' to see a teacher. *wink*
    Love and Lollipops,
    Beth
  • From:
    JustAnotherBeth (Legacy)
    On:
    Wed Mar 12 2003
    Get out of my head Yetzirah!
  • From:
    Becoming (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Mar 13 2003
    Being a teacher is a noble thing. Being around children is a true gift. I will never regret my days as a daycare provider. I feel I was a teacher myself, although I learned far more than I could ever have taught. What a joy! When I did daycare, I would take the kids to the library for story day. Now that would be fun . . . reading stories to a group of pre-school children. They had puppets too that they used along with the story. *smile*