Me, a teacher?

Since my layoff in March I've run through the typical jaunt of emotions like sadness, anger, self-pity, confusion and content. I say content because I certainly haven't minded sleeping in, being able to shop while everyone else is at work, and essentially moving to the beat of my own drum.

With my new found time off I have taken advantage of volunteering more of my time at my kids' elementary school. For my daughter, the kindergartner, I'm a hallway helper. I work with the kids about once per month reviewing the sounds they've been learning and making sure they can identify the letters. For my son, the second grader, I teach art awareness and Jr. Achievement.

When I first got the materials for Jr. Achievement I was intrigued and a little overwhelmed because there was so much stuff. Luckily as I went through the information booklet I saw they did a good job of outlining all five of the lesson plans.

When I agreed to be the JA rep I had NO IDEA what JA was all about or what I'd be doing. Since I had already done art awareness I was comfortable addressing the class, but JA was different - it was a bit more in depth.

As the weeks went by my excitement about giving the JA lessons increased. The overall lesson was about our community, jobs within a typical community, the role of government within our community, how items are produced, voting and decision making and how money circulates throughout the community. All really cool and interesting things for kids ages 7-8 to learn.

Today was my last JA presentation and while a part of me was a little relieved that I no longer had to prepare a lesson, another part was a little sad that I won't be getting face time with the kids anymore. This was a tremendous opportunity to be present for my son at school and get to know his classmates.

I've always valued the role of a teacher and appreciated how hard the job is, but what I didn't expect was that I could be one of them. I know as a parent I teach my kids lessons they will carry through life, but their classroom teacher does the real heavy lifting and my participation in JA was my little window to the pleasures of teaching.

Now I'd hardly call myself a teacher, but I have a much better understanding of what it's like to be a teacher.

So to the teachers of the world who mold our minds - THANK YOU!