going through massive life changes sometimes inspires us to look at the past and analyze our experiences to make decisions about where we want our future to go. i've done this at multiple points in my life, but of note are the following circumstances:
*my first year in college at UCSC - i was nearing the end of my freshman year in college and trying to figure out what i wanted my major to be. i enrolled and was accepted in the "undeclared/undecided" major. i was 18 at the time and had much less life experience to look back on, so i thought back to life in high school and things i enjoyed doing, classes i enjoyed, etc. through this process i discovered that i really enjoyed my AP calculus teacher my senior year of high school. he inspired me in ways i never actually communicated to him - and this prompted me to pursue a college path geared towards engineering (engineering is the most math-intense strain of most sciences). my path was set...
*my first year as an engineer - within the first two weeks i knew it wasn't a right fit for me, so i again thought back to my college and high school experiences, and remembered my calculus teacher and the way he inspired me. i thought about the movie "dangerous minds" and how michelle pfeiffer was able to transform the lives of struggling high school students. it was a done deal - i wanted to teach. my path was re-set...
*my 10th year as a teacher - within the first couple of years of teaching i became fascinated with vice principals and the intense work they did. i knew pretty early on in my teaching career that i wanted to be a VP, but loved teaching so much that i never felt ready to pursue the VP path, until my 10th year as a teacher after i built a successful program for struggling students then had it taken away abruptly for bureaucratic/political reasons. so i went back to school and got the administrative credential i needed to be a VP. my path was re-set again...
*my first year as a VP - it's crazy how you can be certain you know what you want in life, until you are actually IN it. i love the majority of the work i do as a VP, but have been given the opportunity to look back at my life and career (again) to really hone in to my passions, and here we are. this past year as a VP kids have sought me out as their guidance, support, inspiration and motivation. this is something that has been consistent throughout my years in education, and the thread that weaves all of my experiences together. my path is re-set once again...
i want to inspire kids the way my calculus teacher inspired me. i want to motivate kids to be their best, and above all make sure ALL kids know that they have an advocate, an ally and a true supporter who is rooting for them each step of the way.
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