I'm an outdoor-loving, adventure-seeking, sometimes crazy, but always dedicated 5th grade teacher. My grandmother hit the nail on the head when she called me a reading fool. Because I do love reading, and I'm usually found with a book within arm's reach.
My goal in life is to reach as many kids as possible, teaching the same joy for reading and love of learning which has defined who I am.
I take the adage You are what you read one step further. For kids who are developing the interests that will define their futures, I believe that You become what you read. And if we as educators and parents can get a wide variety of books into the hands of our children - and inspire them to take risks to choose books they might not have otherwise read - then we have taken an important step toward guiding the future.
And that's the best legacy we can leave to our posterity.
Why a Jungle Tiger?
I recently attended a very powerful staff development session (which may seem like an oxymoron, but we've got an amazing administrative staff coupled with a fantastic instructional coach). At this session, we talked about empowering educators, and we discussed the zoo tiger vs. the jungle tiger. I realized in this discussion that I am a jungle tiger - I'm bold, and I dive into new concepts with zeal. Part of this may be due to my experience as a Boy Scout leader. We're all about exploring our world. Sitting in a zoo enclosure just isn't my style.
We've only got one life to live, and we've got to make it count. As teachers, we're in a unique situation because we get a reset button on our careers every single year. We don't have to stay stagnant year after year - when we do, we miss out on the individual needs of each class we are privileged to teach.
So be bold, be that jungle tiger, and go out and explore everything you can to make the most of the 180 days you get with each class.
