Who woulda thought teaching adults could be AS enriching as teaching our youth?

I had no idea but this year I was given the opportunity to teach a credentialing class to first year teachers and I am SO GLAD I did it. Not only did I learn a lot about teaching adults, but it continually pushed my own teaching practice and along the way, people re-affirmed my ability to inspire others. It also confirmed that down the road, I would love to work at a university as a professor.

In the card that I received, here are a few things that the participants wrote (it touched me in a BIG way):

• Thank you for everything. It has been a pleasure learning from you this past year. You inspired me to continually work hard to impact student achievement in a positive way.
• Thank you for all of the inspiration, guidance, and support. This year has been filled with many moments where your kindness and help have kept me focused, grounded and positive.
• Thank you so much for all your have done. While I have learned many things from you-the biggest one is what it means to teach from the heart. All of the heartfelt thoughtful things you did-things even as simple as an encouraging e-mail are so powerful and I am more conscious of what it means to teach from the heart and show my students I appreciate their work because of you.

I hope I continually get these opportunities. It pushes me as a person, a practitioner and a leader.