Don't take anything personally..

I am a teacher. I am not a "science" teacher, or an "art" teacher, or a "reading" teacher, or a "Math" teacher, or a "history" teacher, or a "writing" teacher or a "PE" teacher. 

I am ALL of these.

I am taking a Teachers that want to teach Science course through Fresno State, mainly to better myself, learn more, add credits to my growing list of post graduate credits for a raise, and of course in return improve my teaching practices.

 I am learning quite a bit. 

My first year teaching I had the opportunity to attend the ACSI conference in Sacramento. 

It was amazing. We had 3 days of workshops, classes, worship time, fellowship and even some really neat entertainment in the evening one night. We also got to walk around Old Town Sacramento, visit the capital and I was with some great friends/teachers, it was like a family vacation. The hardest part was leaving my husband and  5 month old baby girl and having the complications of being a distant breastfeeding mother. If you have ever breastfed and left your children you know what I mean. Thank GOD for my breast pump and a freezer in the hotel room.  
EVEN greater of a memory than all of that uncomfortableness was in one workshop the speaker said 

"You must teach with InTENtionality." 

I'm reading some really good books this summer. This one is great: 

There are so many qualities that a Master Teacher posses, but the top seven in this book (and I will quote directly) are: 

"1. Master teachers start where their students are.

2. Master teachers know where their students are going.

3. Master teachers expect to her their students to their goal.

4. Master teachers support their students along the way.

5. Master teachers use feedback to help them and their students get better.

6. Master teachers focus on quality rather than quantity.

7. Master teachers never work harder than their students." (Jackson, 4)

Some of these I think I am gifted in, others I am not. using feedback to help myself get better is a challenge. I tend to take things personally, which according to the Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz (a great reading!) one should never take things personally. 

This is hard to do with my personality, my insecurities and my background. I work hard for praise, I am a wonderful student because school was the only place I excelled, felt valued and felt love. This is why I am a teacher today. I want to give back.