My StoryI began my teaching career by accident, sort of speak. Fresh out of undergrad with little to no career plan, I stopped by my high school alma mater to visit one of my favorite teachers. We hugged. We laughed. We talked. And his students were ease dropping, a lot. Two hours later, I'm surrounded by students wanting to know more about college, my experiences, and how it felt to be on the other side of high school. "Show us your portfolio!" They demanded as I flipped through some of my work. "How did you decide what to major in?" "What did you do for fun?" "Can you show us how you made that?" I was entrenched and overwhelmed, and it felt incredible.
The next day, my phone rang. It was the Director of Arts Westchester, the largest private arts council in New York, offering me a grant to become an artist-in-residence and teach self-designed workshops to those same art students. Um, YES! Sure, no problem, I can start tomorrow! Six months of my art teacher residency led to a long-term sub position teaching 10th and 12th-Grade English, and the career that would change my life began to gain footing. Years later, I have had the pleasure of teaching students art and English from kindergartners to undergrads. It wasn't easy. In fact, I've never worked so hard at anything in my life, and the work simply doesn't end. But I have never felt so at home nor so natural than when surrounded by the exuberance, intensity, and humor of youth. |