Why . . . "The Traveling Teacher?"

I have adopted the name, "The Traveling Teacher." Let me tell you why . . .

Life has a unique and seemingly unplanned way of leading our lives on a winding path of adventure, a journey filled with surprises, detours, and roadblocks. I say "unplanned," because with all of my planning, in the small and big decisions of life . . . my plans have often been slightly changed, overhauled, and sometimes derailed completely. I believe God has a well-planned out map for my life, so I know all things happen for a reason. I have learned to be flexible and open to curves and uncertain terrain along my path. Yet, I am a planner and an organizer. I believe that a well-prepared teacher shows her students that they are valued, expected, and important.

My philosophy is: Be prepared and motivated to excellence. When you do so and plans change, you are not worried, uncertain, or flustered . . . because you are prepared!

With all of that said, I am not surprised that God has orchestrated a very interesting path for me as a teacher.

I love teaching, and when I began this journey as an educator, I expected my career to be somewhat conventional . . . summers off, vacation days throughout the year, a set start-time and end-time each weekday, and DEFINITELY I would be at one location. I have been a teacher for over 20 years. My journey began as a homeschooling Mom. Since graduating with a degree in Elementary Education, I have taught in public and private schools. In the past six years, since moving to Georgia, I have taught in several venues. I have taught:

-in my family room.

-in the basement.

-in my kitchen.

-at a nearby Starbucks

-at an enrichment center.

-at someone else's home.

-at a private school.

-at a nearby church.

-in an office complex.

I did not plan to teach this way, but this is how my teaching career has unfolded. This is how I came up with the name, "The Traveling Teacher." I am hardly ever at the same location for two consecutive days. On any given school day, I can be seen tugging an arm-full of goodies in bins and bags with my cool teacher-stuff in it. I say "cool," because I always have some type of educational toy, game, or activity in my bags, because I love bringing learning alive! I love engaging my students in problem-solving lessons. Why? I believe that this is one way of building a strong foundation of critical thinking skills to develop and encourage my students to be "inquisitive learners" for the 21st Century!

I am preparing to teach a workshop and spend a week with a school in Hawaii. I love teaching hands-on science and writing workshops in the classroom. I will be encouraging teachers to bring science and learning alive in the classroom through everyday objects, gadgets, and gizmos! The name just seems to fit . . . and I am excited to see where my journey will take me in the coming years!

Learning is an adventure . . . look for it around every corner,

"The Traveling Teacher"

HeiDee