My Bucket List

NCCAT experiences are sooo good about helping teachers put their “buckets” in order. The activities and opportunities to reflect are vital to teachers…and me. One of the big impacts of this week already was when we were to draw a map of our lives. I created a circle map that started with a teeny circle with me in the middle symbolizing my life as a child. Then I drew concentric circles that grew  out from the smaller one and  included school life events  that included high school,  undergrad college and my beginning years as a teacher . What grew  out of the map from that last circle were smaller circles that resembled a solar system with little moons orbiting around the largest circle. They  showed an evolution to my professional career that included my National Board certifications, AIG certification, Teacher of the Year, Educator of Excellence trip to Yellowstone, and of course, the Kenan Fellowship. Then to take it even farther, I looked at those achievements and realized that I could go even deeper with them as I became a Candidate Support Provider for NB candidates and a cooperating teacher/mentor for pre and early service teachers and how I brought new programs, experiences  and ideas to my colleagues. In fact, this Kenan experience this summer was a direct inspiration from my Yellowstone experience last summer. At the time, I remember thinking, “This is surely the top of my career experiences.” However, when I learned about the Kenan fellowship, that opportunity instead re-energized my belief that I could and should apply for opportunities that I had once believed were out of my reach. And now here I am immersed within a group of  amazing and interesting educators and mentors. As my 29th year of teaching ends, I look back and realize what a wild and wonderful ride I have had in my career and how my experiences have enriched me and my skills. I am so lucky.