Life Lessons

When I think back on 2010, I think about all the things that happened in the year that contributed to building me into the person I am today. There are many things that I can look back on and tell you that I learned a lot from. For now, lets just stick with one; student teaching. Going through the education department at UGA was an incredible experience. Not only did I learn so much about being a teacher but I learned so much about the type of person I want to be. Throughout my classes I doubted my teaching ability and never imagined how I could be a teacher. My thought process in this was that if I was going to be a teacher, I wanted to be an incredible one. I wanted to be one of those teachers where the students walk out of the classroom, better, more inspired, more comfortable about who they were, more confident in their abilities. I did not want to be average. In fact, I wanted to be everything but average. I was scared that I would not fulfill my own expectations. I was scared to fail and fail miserably. As the first day of student teaching approached, I tried to build my self-confidence in every way possible. I told myself that I was going to have control of this class and that I would have the opportunity to shape children's life in a way that they have never experienced before. What I actually got through this process, was a complete shock. I learned that no teacher, no matter how hard they want to can or should control a classroom. Although the teacher is the conductor of the classroom, the students are the moon, they control the tide. It is the interest of a child that directs them to learn. Without the interest, there is no direction and no learning can take place. I could go on and on about my philosophies of teaching. Let's to stick with a few of the most memorable moments and the most important things I learned. I student taught in a Kindergarten class.

#1 Kids are inspirational. One day I wore a brand new necklace to school. Mistake. I had been drooling over this necklace for a while as I would pass by it in its trendy window display. I finally purchased it after I decided it was a great addition to my jewelry collection and convinced myself that it could be paired with any outfit. The next day after I purchased it, I decided to show it off at school. On our way to go out to recess, my new, fashionable, necklace fell to the ground. I quickly picked it up in fear that it had broken. I was right, my new necklace had broken and it was unrepairable. One of the kids noticed from my expression that I was very upset about the events that had just taken place and quickly came to my rescue. He looked up at me with selfless, brown eyes and said, "It's ok Ms. Oliver, if I am good as school this week, on Friday I get $5 and I will buy you a new one." Unbelievable. As I chuckled and responded with, "Oh no silly willy, that is your money and you have earned it!" I thought to myself, how incredible. This five year old was offering me something that was special to him and rare. He didn't think for an instant that he would want a new toy or to see a movie. He thought about helping someone who looked like they were upset and distraught. I can't get that memory out of my head. It is so inspirational.

#2 Kids are carefree. Every morning in our room we had music playing in the background. I often turned music on when the kids were working on individual work. Songs are used for everything in kindergarten, and rightfully so! For each song, I would dance and sing along with the kids. One girl in particular especially liked to groove to the music. Each time I saw her dancing a would yell to her from across the rug, "dance it out, girl." Every time after I said this, a huge smile would appear on her face and she would dance even more. On my last day, we decided to have an all out dance party. We blasted Beiber and showed off our greatest dance moves. By far one of the best parties I have ever been too!

#3 You are sometimes the only structure kids have. I never have thought of myself of someone who is inspirational or as someone that people look up to. I have always felt like I was small, normal fish swimming in a very large pond. I have never done anything to get noticed and would consider myself very low key. When I entered that room, I had no idea that I would not only become the kids teacher but one of their very best friends as well. At times, for these kids, school seemed to be the only structure some of them had. The regularity of school seemed to soothe kids and bring a sense of calmness to them. On Fridays, we had free time. I would often roam around the room helping students complete things or just accompany them in the fun they were having. One Friday, I decided to help a boy who was sitting by himself building a lincoln log house. This turned out to be one of my most eye-opening experiences of all time. We had almost completed the house when the boy turned to me and said, "Ms. Oliver, you are my best teacher and my best friend." After he said this, he turned back to adding the final touches on the house. I sat there frozen. This was probably the nicest thing I have ever heard. In his world, I was a big deal. At that moment, nothing else mattered to me. At that moment, I realized I have a bigger impact on these kids life than I ever imagined. At that moment, a huge smile came across my face as I responded, "and I am so lucky to have a friend like you."

No matter where my life goes or how I change, I will never forget these moments. The things learned in this classroom will forever have an impact on my life.