When I was a young child, my aunt, a kindergarten teacher, instilled in me the dream of one day becoming a teacher. My vision was not to teach reading, 'riting, and 'rithmatic, but rather to teach reading, 'riting, and recess. As I've studied the learning process I have realized this transformation may not have been just a child's delusion, but perhaps the kernel of the realization that learning is, and should be, fun and that it is most likely to occur when diverse activities are integrated into the learning environment. My love of learning was my primary motivation to pursue teaching as a career.
Teaching is a lonely pursuit unless one interacts with an eager learner.
Learning is a lonely pursuit unless one has someone with whom to share realizations and insights. My father taught me the importance of a partnership in the learning process. He was a wonderful and patient mentor to me. If a student trusts her teacher, she is free to explore, to venture in creative ways, to make mistakes, and to recover from them in the safety of that relationship. After nearly twenty years of being a professor, I still am anxious going into a new class the first day.