“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember; involve me and I learn.” Benjamin Franklin
As I sat down to write this blog, I was overwhelmed with the thought of what I should write about. Will it make sense? Wait, will what make sense? (I don’t even know what I’m writing about yet)! But then it hit me, write about what I know. So, that is what I am going to do. The quote above from Benjamin Franklin has always hit me like a ton of bricks, because that quote describes me.
I was homeschooled from K-12th grade and learning did not come easy to me. I struggled with the basics of reading, writing, and math. It took me much longer to learn certain things and because of this my mom (she is an angel) took a step back to try other methods of teaching me. Soon after, I began to get involved in co-ops, and once I did this my learning seemed to take off! I began to get excited about learning instead of dreading another noun lesson. I began to want to dive deeper in certain areas instead of rushing through them. I was finally having fun and enjoying this whole learning thing. School was no longer something I despised, it was something I actually liked! The reason… I was involved!
Throughout all this time, I began to get involved with a dance company called, “Many but ONE.” This is a Christian dance studio that believes in glorifying the Lord through dance. Dance became a very important outlet for me. I enjoyed every minute that I was able to dance. It seemed that this form of education allowed me to thrive. Once again, I was involved! Through dance I learned how to express myself, and share with others the gift that I had been given. This eventually led to me teaching dance as well!
As I went through high school, some of the same struggles I had when I was younger seemed to creep back. You see, back then I was able to fight my way through more things but as I grew older it was as if I hit a wall and we could not figure out why. So finally, I was tested for a learning disability as well as ADHD, and sure enough that was exactly what was going on. But once again mom to the rescue, she found creative ways to adapt to my learning style and I was back on track. Through this whole ordeal, my parents never let me use my disability as an excuse, rather a motivation. I realized that I would just have to work a little harder than everyone else.
With this revelation came the worry of starting college. School is already as tough as can be and now I have to do it on my own? Then the questions began, “So what are you studying?” my answer, “I don’t know.” I felt that everything would be too difficult for me. But my parents encouraged me and pushed me forward. The struggles I had endured caused me to really learn how to study. Everyone would always tell me I should be a teacher, but how can someone who has struggled with learning her whole life teach others? Then one day it hit me, my struggles are the reason I should teach. I understand the students who have struggled because I was that student. I know how discouraging it can be and the embarrassment of feeling like you’ve forgotten everything you just learned. I know the anxiety that comes over you when you have to read out loud. It is because of these feelings that I teach.
As you can probably tell, I was able to overcome these challenges (I graduated from college Cum Laude by the way… thanks Mom!) and I was able to get a job at the same school that I student taught at. Who would have thought, the girl with the learning disability would graduate college and become a teacher? Talk about irony! I was very excited when I was placed there because it was a Montessori school. Montessori teaching provides a very hands-on approach of learning. Maria Montessori said, “The hands are the instruments of man’s intelligence.” This went right back to my roots! Through working here, I was able to gain the experience of working in a public school but also had the luxury of doing so in a hands-on manner.
Needless to say, I attribute my turn-around to my homeschooling. Although it was a struggle at times, the outcome was worth it. I was able to learn at my own pace and in a way that made sense to me. Not to mention the flexibility it afforded me in terms of being able to spend time with my family! Maybe you are reading this and wondering if you are cut out for homeschooling, just know there were many nights that my mom felt the exact same way, but I know she wouldn’t trade it for anything! I am very excited to join WonderHere, and for the opportunity to continue to teach in a way that reaches children where they are and takes them further than they ever imagined they could go.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill
