What Am I Doing Here?

Over the past year, I have periodically asked myself why I chose teaching as my profession. I have had moments of doubt in my ability to reach students and teach meaningful content. There have been days where I have wanted to quit and try something else. Last semester was a trying time for me in the classroom with many stumbling blocks in my path that shook my confidence, beat me down. Knowing that I was having a difficult time, a friend found and sent a quote to me, which read:

"Your best teacher is your last mistake." -Ralph Nader (I don't think he's the first to have the idea, but credit is given to him.)

This particular quote helped me realize that teaching is an ongoing learning process, not only for me, but also for the young people who will sit in my classroom. My only option for improvement is to continue to make new mistakes in order to learn from them and never repeat them. Beyond that, I have learned that my students must also be allowed to learn by stumbling a little. 

We as a society are conditioned to believe that mistakes are bad--even devastating--and we are so afraid to mess up that we are often unwilling to even try. So, the most important lesson in all of this is

MISTAKES and FAILURE are not FATAL. Being too afraid to stick your neck out and learn is lethal. This message is something I feel is so important to convey in the classroom, especially when it comes to writing.

To address my title question, I am here to learn. I am here to grow. I am here to facilitate young people in their learning and growth. I am here to show my students it's okay to honestly not know something. I am here to teach them how to inquire and overcome that fear of potential failure.

I accept that it will take some time to master the art of learning from and moving past mistakes, but I am certainly open to try honing that skill.