I AM A TEACHER

I am a teacher.
I was born the first moment that a question leaped from the mouth of a child.
I have been many people in many places.
I am Socrates exciting the youth of Athens to discover new ideas through the use of questions.
I am Anne Sullivan tapping out the secrets of the universe into the outstretched hand of Helen Keller.
I am Aesop and Hans Christian Anderson revealing truth through countless stories.
I am Marva Collins fighting for every child's right to an education.
I am Mary McCleod Bethune building a great college for my people, using orange crates for desks...
I am also those whose names and faces have long been forgotten but whose lessons and character will always be remembered in the accomplishments of their students...
I have a past that is rich in memories.  I have a present that is challenging, adventurous and fun because I am allowed to spend my days with the futre.
I am a teacher...and I thank God for it every day.


I came across this piece of writing the night I spoke to the principal of Cambridge English School in Kuwait and learned my job for the next year will be as a grade four classroom teacher.  It was written by John W. Schlatter and included in a Chicken Soup for the Soul book.  It seems fitting that I found it when I did. I haven't been in a classroom for a long time, I'm nervous about working with a large, active group of nine year olds, I sometimes question the sanity of my decision to take off to parts unknown.  Reading this reminded me that no matter what the next year holds for me - or the years after that - there is one thing I know to be true - I am a teacher.

KUWAIT BOUND!

After an agonizing, nail-biting, tension-filled 2 1/2 weeks I finally know where I'm going.  I had accepted a position in Vietnam but heard back from a school I had applied to in Kuwait.  Both positions are in international schools-and what I really want to do is teach English as a Second Language to adults-but the Kuwaiti company that recruited me also recruits for post secondary organizations, so there is a good chance of me getting into a position in adult education next year.

I have wanted to return to the Middle East since my brief sojourn there 6 years ago.  After weighing the pros and cons of both positions it was clear there were more benefits to me going to Kuwait.  Whenever I thought about traveling in Asia I felt excited but when I thought about living there I felt a sense of uneasiness, even panic - I'm not sure why, but I'm going to respect that feeling.  I still have a strong desire to travel in that area, particularly in Southeast Asia, but for now I'm not going to be living there.  I swear my decision was only very slightly swayed by my propensity for Latin/Middle Eastern men!  I think one of the deciding factors for me is the nearness to the continent that draws me more than any other.  Africa - it's been like a magnet to me since I was a child - Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti, the Sahara, the Nile, Timbuktu, Cairo, Marrakesh, the list goes on, the pull is strong.  I can't wait for the day I set foot on that continent, I intend to spend as much time exploring it as I can.

So, before the month is out I will be in the Middle East, a region fascinating in its own right and because of its location - close to Africa, Asia and Europe.  I will be teaching all subjects(British curriculum)to a Grade 4 class.  I am so thankful to have the opportunity to teach again - to follow my passion.  Thank you universe!