Out of the Ashes

As years go by, we encounter ourselves with different people we are, different faces we show, and different aspects of our own personality that we share in the classroom. I used to be a nervous teacher only during the first two months of my personal experience –about 12 years ago-; a submissive one during my first three years –doing as I was told by my bosses-; a creative one by my fifth year as a teacher; a very good one by the seventh; and a relaxed, almost obsolete one by the tenth year. I had tried it all and it had worked, but I knew that I needed a new tool to make that contribution every experienced educator talks about, that one experience that makes you reset your brain and open your mind to what you had always thought of as unthinkable.

Then I decided to change jobs, change cities, and change routines, discovering that every end brings a new beginning. Black is white and old is new. Sometimes we hit the bottom and only then decide to start it all over…another strategy that worked, with the aid of technology, the piece that had been missing. I started my Master’s and my thesis, and focused more and more on my contribution to society: a new methodology for my classes, which would affect a population of 120 students at my university every semester. I dared. I was forced by myself to find myself. Not only would I implement technological tools to class but also change my own teaching style, from giving instructions to redefining personal aspects to reinvent myself as a teacher. It has taken four years. If someone ever asked me if it has been worth it, I would not hesitate to nod yes, with a smile on my face, and believe it or not, I suspect my students would too.