The Best and the Brightest

I had the privilege today to take part in the regional interviews for the 22nd class of Teaching Fellows. The Teaching Fellow Holly came out and I schmoozed with the best of them. I was encouraged to hear the excitement in these kids voices about wanting to be teachers. I had the chance to recruit some for UNCA and emphasize how much determined stubbornness it's going to take to see this program through to the end. I told one girl that her first year would be horrible but if she made it through that it was a breeze after that. Surprisingly, it was ten years ago that I sat in that interview chair at Appalachian State and answered some of the same questions. Wow - where have the years gone! Like I told my fellow interviewers today, I have fulfilled my commitment and am still teaching. That says something for the program. It's amazing to see how much the program has improved and evolved over the years of it's existence, but there is comfort in the unchanged parts as well. It was encouraging to hear my future colleagues be so enthusiastic about my profession. It also helped me realize how many people have helped me to make it this far. I look forward to many years of helping the next generation of teachers get to this point. I want to be the "one" who inspired them to become teachers. I want some of my kids to sit in that chair and talk about their math teacher from middle school who loved her subject and more importantly loved her students. I want to inspire this generation to reach their potential. My profession will be the most rewarding when one day one of my kids stands in front of a classroom of their own! Good luck entering class of 2008! May you be the best and brightest in your schools and in your classrooms!