Teaching for me is more- so much
more than a career…it is a way that provides the opportunity for me to enrich,
embrace, and shape the lives of others in such a remarkable way. When the hands
of time in my mind rewind to my childhood years, as I surrounded myself
with my adoption and cabbage patch dolls- all lined up neatly in a row, preparing them to
learn addition and spelling lessons for the day…It brings only laughter to my
heart. All those many years ago, I knew then, what I was destine to be- a
teacher. No one special or ever to be written in the world’s history books, simply
just a teacher who would believe in her student’s ability to succeed that when
she was presented with brokenness- she envisioned a masterpiece-waiting to be
revealed.
Through the eyes of my students;
I see something wonderful and unique-an open door to unlimited possibilities.
In my classroom, the learning environment is a place of laughter and joy
wrapped up in standard base instruction while safety is a priority. There is open
communication between my students and I, we work as a collaborative team along
with our parents as partners.
As I think about the years,
and all the changes in the standards- I know that at the end of the day, it was
never about me, it was always about my students. This is what keeps me afloat. I
know that I must continue to be a reflective learner, attending as much
professional development, conferences and trainings as needed to evaluate my
students towards greatness. I truly believe the path in which my state
(Georgia) has taken is a wise one, our standards are teacher lead, but student
driven, gives way for differentiated instruction, and allows that success is
eminent.
To sum it up, Yes I could’ve
told you all about me, but I choose to focus on something much more important-
the beating of my heart-teaching.
Joy Overflowing,
April Burrough
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