I was a student. I still am. I always will be.
These are three fragments of my journey, where learning was the constant. I am in education because I cherish learning, I am a lifelong learner, and the classroom is a space where we appreciate knowledge together.
I struggled coming out of high school, with interests all over the place. In my family, I had a cousin who lived with us, who was basically my brother. He got accepted into medical school when I was in grade 9. My sister was accepted into optometry when I was in grade 10. In my head, I always thought, “I will do something big because they did it.” When people asked me what I wanted to do after high school, seldom was I able to even make up an answer. They always said, “You are still young, you have plenty of time to decide.”
This is typical. I find parents, relatives, teachers, mentors, family friends, everyone saying the same thing to students. “You are still young, you have plenty of time to decide.” As someone who grew up believing that, I know it holds value, but it is unhelpful to the student. It is, however, a sense of comfort that a person can share with a student, whether or not that is what they actually need.
I am in education because I can provide students with far more than a sense of comfort. I have been in their exact position, and I have made my way out of it. I understand what it means to struggle, academically, socially, and professionally, but in all of these circumstances, I have made my way out. And now that I know what that path could look like, I strive to offer it to those who need it, instead of just comforting words.
Our students need a guide, a mentor who knows them. They need someone with real world experience. They need someone who has not become detached from their youthful world. And quite frankly, I need them to teach me how to grow and make myself a better person each day. After all,
I was a student. I still am. I always will be.