I’m reading the book Start
by Jon Acuff, which I highly recommend. Anyway, one of the things he talks
about is how as kids we felt like we could change the world! He actually gives
some psychological reasons why (left brain vs. right brain), but it got me
thinking. What happened to that little
girl who thought she could change the world??
I knew from, maybe the age of five—seriously--that I wanted
to be a teacher! It’s actually a little
hard for me to understand why some (most) people don’t know what they want to be until well after
they grow up! Anyway, originally I wanted to teach K-12. In college, most of my
professors actually advised me against going into the education field, so I
modified that a bit with a renewed desire to teach in the college setting. I
accomplished that goal in 1995! My first higher education job was at Victor
Valley College teaching an Intro to Sociology course. I was immediately in
love! Since that time I have taught at six different colleges, including 2-year
and 4-year institutions, and both public and private. I have had the joy of
creating new curriculum and teaching some pretty amazing students.
Fast forward to now. I am about to enter my eighteenth year of teaching! I still very much love the teaching aspects
of my job. I have mostly remarkable students, and most of the time I feel like
I do make a difference in their
lives. But what happened, again, to that little girl who wanted to change the
world?
Side note: I also had
a brief dream of becoming a Flight Attendant. I went to a seminar in high
school where I quickly learned it was not the job for me! Fear or flying? No. Fear of crashing? No.
Fear of rude passengers? No. Here’s what happened. I learned that you had to
wear make-up and do your hair according to some set of guidelines! Someone
would be directing me on how to present myself! Well, I’m not a big fan of
others telling me what to do—so that dream died right there!
So now, if I were to dream
big, if I still had that burning desire (minus all the negative comments we
come to rely on as we age) to change the world, what would I do? I would really love to combine the desire to
travel with my desire to teach! I am nearly fifty years old, but since my life
expectancy is currently calculated at 108, I figure I’ve got enough time to not
only reach this goal, but to enjoy this new aspect of my life!
How will I accomplish it? Not sure yet J Maybe I can teach abroad. Maybe I can travel
over the summer lecturing on the topic of Intimate Partner Violence. Maybe it
will be as part of my Beachbody Coaching business. Not sure just yet.
But I do know this: I
will strive to be consistent in working on my goals. I will endeavor to find
that “inner little girl” with the big dreams to change the world. I will strive
to use that child’s brain full of curiosity and adventure! I will dream big!! Will you?
