Growing Into My Own Skin (Ruminating on my 30’s)
This blog post is dedicated to my friend Pat.
Whatever age you are, there are things you get to learn. The 30’s, for me, have been a time where I have grown into my own skin so-to-speak. I tried 2 different career paths through my 20’s and finally decided on teaching at age 32. It was then I moved up the hill to the high desert and started teaching at a rural school in Adelanto. The neighborhood has changed through the years, and so have I.
I recall at 32 being so optimistic about the future. I felt that any child could be proficient in English and Math, and I even told my wife numerous times I was going to get every child in my class proficient and then write a book about how I did it. Hmmm. What I have learned through these nearly 6 years is that: It isn’t important how high you jump, but how straight you walk when you hit the ground again. My 30’s have taught me that.
Well, I’ve had 5 classrooms since 32, and I never wrote that book. What I have done may not sound as interesting. Nonetheless, to me it’s far more valuable.
I’ve learned the value of believing in yourself.? I’ve learned the priority of people over procedure. I’ve learned that if you focus on the kids who want to learn and who show commitment to learning, others will follow them. I’ve learned the value to keeping your chin up when things seem bleak. I’ve learned to never give up no matter what.
Maybe these things could be in a book someday. I have countless anecdotes. Getting to the tail end of my 30’s (I’ll be 38 in June) I have less of a wanderlust toward a hit book, a hit song. More than those things I want my kids to be happy. I want them to experience life for all it can be. I want them to actively seek out the future they want for themselves. My 30’s have taught me that a good life is not a blind leap into a dark chasm, but rather a clearly lit path traveled steadily.
