A Ref lection

 

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          Throughout my life, I have had various passions come and go, but two that have remained the same are teaching and gymnastics. Growing up, we hear from teachers and parents that it’s okay to be different. We hear in songs and see in movies, that life doesn’t always happen the way you plan. I believed it myself too – yet I still never thought that I would be one to go off the beaten path. While everyone was supportive, when I decided to leave teaching to coach gymnastics full-time, I surprised my friends, my family, my co-workers, and even myself. 

 

          Upon entering my master’s program, I reflected on my goals. Whether working with a child as a student or an athlete, I realized that my goals for them as their instructor were remarkably similar. Regardless of the setting, I wanted to offer my students challenges for growth, and to provide them with the tools they would need to help them reach their fullest potential – in the classroom, in the gym, and in life. While these goals have not changed since I entered the program, they have molded into something a bit more powerful. The courses I have taken within my master’s program, paired with my current career choice, have offered new challenges, and have shaped the way I view myself as an educator for students of all types. 

 

          A teacher is a leader, a role model, a voice. Like my many passions, a teacher may physically come and go in a student’s life, but the lessons, experiences, and character gained help shape each child for who they will later become. I may not have been a classroom teacher for each child that has come into my life, but through teaching gymnastics, I have helped my students learn perseverance, determination, loyalty, self-respect, teamwork, coordination, responsibility, accomplishment, and pride. These young athletes learn to practice being leaders for themselves and for others. They learn to set goals and then work hard to reach them. I used to believe that my training as a classroom teacher helped to make me a better coach. While I am still certain that that is true, I also now believe that my experiences working in the gym have shaped me to be a better classroom teacher as well. 

 

          The new experiences I have encountered as a gymnastics instructor have changed the way I see my role as a teacher. I no longer strictly see my role as what is outlined and expected within job descriptions. While I understand that test scores are important, I believe more in the progress along the way. I see teaching as meeting each student or athlete where they are at, and working with them to work hard to reach their goals. I believe in developing character traits that will benefit each child not only in the classroom, but in their extracurricular activities and at home. While my story may not have turned out exactly as I had originally planned, I believe that the road less traveled has led me to strengthen my ideals as an educator. It has led me to be a teacher I am prouder of.