Today is the first day...

"Today is the first day of the rest of my life," is what someone said during our introductions. This was the only quote that stood out to me out of the sea of individual blurbs consisting of names, bachelor degrees, graduation dates, content areas, quirky facts, etc. I began the first day of the teacher credential program orientation this morning. We watched a short video about twelve employees at a fish market employing good attitudes towards each other and customers. This same attitude could be applied to teaching – making jobs like play time filled with fun and laughs. Perhaps it is true that your attitude determines your altitude in life. Surely enough, Dr. Ambrosetti managed to scare most of us, or that is the assumption I'm making from the expression on other people’s faces. I was pretty scared of what's to come. Apparently, in October, we're all going to want to quit. It’s nice to anticipate that feeling just to know what to expect, to be as prepared as possible and strong in the midst of obstacles.

It has been a journey to get here, and it really does feel like the first day of my professional life. I know now I truly do want to be a teacher. I want to make a positive difference in people's lives. I want to help them want to learn, and to find what they're passionate about in my classroom - even if it’s something simple like jazz music from the 1920's in U.S. history, or economics because of the stock market crash in 1929. I hope they enjoy learning in my classroom and keep an open mind to multiple perspectives. I will get the privilege to watch them grow, make mistakes, and learn from them for the long run. I'm curious to get to know my future students, their talents, passions, and evolving interests. I have always wanted to do something of service with my life, and I can't think of doing anything better than making a living on being a nerd. lol. In the summer, I’ll still get to pursue things I’m also passionate about like art, curatorial work, and writing. I’m learning that you can love many things, but the difficult part is finding a profession that fuses all of your passions. I think this is it, but who knows. Maybe in October I’ll be saying something different. Wish me luck!