My First Blog (Extra Credit)

How I decided to become a Teacher

While most of most college students spend their summer tanning by the pool, hitting up bars, and waiting on table to make an extra buck.  I spent my summer at play grounds, driving a mini van, and making about a million peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  I began working as a full time nanny last summer and have the amazing opportunity to do it all again this summer.  While some might think my day was boring, or "awful" to be stuck watching kids all day, I could not have loved it more!  I had the joy of watching two amazing little boys all summer long whole completely stole my heart.

Brendan who is four, is filled with enthusiasm for life. He may be one of the smartest little boys, who has a vocabulary of a seven year old, which would definitely get him into trouble at times.  He has the desire to know everything.  I found myself consumed all summer long answering a million questions that often began with "Why?" or "What if?".  He lives for baseball and soccer, which we played just about everyday.  If I didn't start the summer with a good arm I definitely finished it with one.  I often spent my summer googling activities to do with the kids and articles like this were a life savor! http://www.kidzworld.com/article/27047-top-10-summer-activities

Felix who is only two, was the sweetest and easily most entertaining child I have ever met.  He constantly found ways to make me laugh and smile.  Even on the worst days where I was tired or sad, he managed to put a smile on my face.  Felix and I got to embark on an extremely fun journey together; potty training.  While I give the credit to his mother who definitely put in the tedious and hard labor of training him,  I definitely got a few chuckles regarding it throughout the summer.  For those of you reading who have ever experienced a two year old boy, who is super short might I add,  demanding that he stands to urinate in a public restroom, I'm sure you can assume it didn't go over well.  It was situations like these that taught me it is better to laugh than worry about what is out of our control. It started to become an expectation at my family dinners that I would have a hilarious story about Brendan and Felix from earlier that day.  I always had a story and typically a video or picture to go along with it, that never disappointed. 

While I spent my summer teaching them new things like riding a bike, painting, swimming, and reading, it was I who learned the most from them.  They taught me how to be patient, a quality that as many people know is a virtue to have.  Going into the summer little things would bother me, and stress me out more than they should. Many would call me a control freak, while I personally preferd the term perfectionist.  I left the summer with a whole new attitude.  I realize that life is made for mistakes and that it is alright to not have everything planned out and instead to just go with the flow.  I have these toddlers to thank for teaching me that.  From this summer I realized that teaching is the profession for me.  I knew that I loved kids, and wanted to make a difference in their lives.  I could see and their mom would tell me the positive impact I made in their life, and I knew that they were just the begging for me. I have never been more sure than now that becoming a teacher is exactly what I am meant to do.  

My summer days may not have been filled with fun college events, but they were filled with millions of loving hugs.