My three strengths

Day 15 - Reflective Teacher Blogging Challenge

Name three strengths you have as an educator

Dedication - I am dedicated to my profession, to my students and to myself.  As an educator, I feel that I am never "off."  I am always working even when I'm on vacation. It's difficult for me not to relate something to my teaching.  A perfect example of this is when I am listening to Italian music (all the time) and I'll make a note that this would be perfect for teaching the imperfect or the future tense.  My mind never seems to differentiate between when I should be enjoying something for the sake of enjoyment or when I should be taking notes so that I can turn it into a great lesson.

All of my students (I hope) know that I am always available to them - not just for help in Italian.  I have come to recognize my role of teacher to be many things: educator, parent, nurse, friend, cheerleader.  I have a difficult time turning students away for any reason, even if I may be late to an appointment.  It was difficult at first to not be so engrossed in my students' lives that I barely had one of my own.  I have learned over time to create a balance and it has served me well. 

I am dedicated to being the best me I can be so that I can serve my profession and my students well.


Passion - What I do for a living is what I live.  I live to make everyone love Italian and all things Italian.  I believe in making my students fall in love with Italy so they want to travel there and so they care about learning the language.  I participate in/attend  as many Italian events as possible.  I teach everyone from 4 year olds to adults.  I couldn't see myself doing anything else.  I have come to the conclusion that as much as I love Italy and would love to have a home there, my place is here in the U.S. My place is here so I can spark a love of the language and culture in each and every one of my students. It is not uncommon for me to go off on a tangent in class because I have been swept away in telling a historical story or about a previous trip.  And the reward is that I have a captive audience and you can see by their expressions that they are taking it all in and enjoying it - forgetting for a moment that they're still LEARNING.

Organizational Skills - Being a control freak with borderline OCD (though my wife would raise an eyebrow at the word borderline) makes me a better teacher.  Maybe not better than my less-organized colleagues but better for me. I can't function in a world without order.  I plan in advance and keep everything in nice color-coded folders. I make lists and am never more pleased then when I can cross something off.  My organizational mania helps me stay on top of deadlines and be a better parent and husband.