My Family's Gift to Me

Anyone who knows my family would probably say that teaching is in our 'genes'. I have grown up surrounded by teachers: my mother, my father, my stepmothers, grandma, four of my aunts, three of my cousins, one of my uncles.... Many of my friends growing up were taught by one (or more) of my relatives, including my husband whose 5th grade teacher was my stepmother. My friends used to tell me teaching was 'in my blood', 'in your genes', 'what I was meant to do', or 'my calling'. I listened to their comments growing up, struggling with the question: What do I want to be/do when I grow up? Teaching was something I always put on the top of my list, because I knew I wanted to work with children and knew teaching enabled this. But it wasn't until my stepmom asked me "What specifically do you want to do as a teacher? Why do you want to teach?", that I found what I was looking for - and needed to find.

I didn't find the answer in my 'blood' or in my 'genes' but rather in my spirit - in myself. My family 'teachers' all lived and breathed their teaching and desire to work with others, and the community. Their jobs gave them purpose; allowed them to devote themselves to helping others where they were needed, in and out of the classroom. At home each of them was a teacher of life, so-to-speak, always encouraging my brothers and me to explore our dreams, passions and what makes us really happy. Each of the teachers in my family showed how happy, proud and passionate they were about teaching and themselves, and wanted the same for my brothers and me. My family teachers each had such a strong sense of self, inner strength, and peace. These were the things they taught my brothers and me to want, and to not stop searching until we found. I realized that I had learned this lesson, and my searching for purpose and direction led me to teaching (something needless to say my family thinks is just wonderful -- even if they may be biased).

The answer I gave my stepmom that day was simply: I want to give back to my community what has been offered and given to me. I want to teach through strength, caring, and commitment. My family helped me find my spirit, and I will always remember the ways, in which they did this, so that I too can pass this on to my students and family. Teaching is learning, and learning is teaching my stepmom told me later that day, sweet and simple. It was the teachers in my family who sparked my desire to teach, and their teaching that showed me why it is my passion and purpose - maybe some of that is just in the 'genes' but most of it comes from the heart.

-- Erika