Influences of the Places of My Life

Introduction

I am about to step back into a classroom after being out of one for almost five years. I have done teaching in that time, but it has been all online. Even with a distance learning model where I see my students by video, there is still a disconnectedness. It is not the same as being in the classroom with them, and it is much harder across a computer screen to create the student relationships that make me a more effective teacher. I am excited to be re-entering the classroom on a whole new adventure in post-secondary education, as I have spent my career thus far in high schools. How will this be different? How will this help me grow even more as a teacher? I am excited to reflect on where my journey as an educator is headed.

It’s an odd thing to seriously reflect on your life at thirty-one. How did I get where I am today? What do the puzzle pieces of my life look like? When I allow myself to fall into the memories of my past, it is the places that I can vividly see and the people that filled them. There are four main places through my life that have shaped me into the person and teacher that I am today. This article will explore those places and influences on my life.