Once Upon A Time...

There's a little known fact about me, when I was younger, I always wanted to be a teacher. As a girl, I used to force my brother to play school with me while I made up lesson plans and schedules for our summer days. I'm sure it was a thrill for him to play school on his summer break, right?
By the time I graduated high school, my dream had changed quite a bit. I wanted to be a nurse practitioner. At the time, I don't think I really knew what a nurse did.
What does a nurse do? We teach. All the time. Sure, we don't do it in the traditional classroom setting but we teach our patients and our patient's families all about disease, health and so much more.
In nursing school, inevitably, my love of teaching came out even more and I can definitely say that I want to teach clinical groups one day. I'd love to teach students in their first adult health clinical as they learn how to care for a patient.
I had two teachers in nursing school that have helped me come to this realization.

One was my own first adult health clinical instructor. Boy, was she tough! She always expected our absolute best on the floor and now that I've graduated, I realize why. She was trying to impart to us that we were saving people's lives and that we should take that seriously.
The other teacher that made me realize that I wanted to be a clinical instructor was my maternal-newborn instructor. She was the first that treated me like a nurse. She realized that we all had a year under our belt and she asked us what we thought about certain things, all while guiding us when we looked at her like we were clueless. She was one of the most nurturing women I've ever met and I'd love to follow in her footsteps and be a clinical instructor one day.
And of course, I can't forget my two amazing preceptors. One made me do all the assessments and things like that on our patients, even on days I felt unsure of myself and the other quizzed me continuously and allowed me to try procedures all on my own.
All of these women made me realize that just because I went with a new dream, being a nurse, didn't mean I had to give up what I wanted as a child and I could still be a teacher, just a different kind of teachers.
Teachers come in all shapes and sizes but they definitely shape the way we live our lives, our values and even our hopes and dreams.
That's why when I found out about this amazing documentary called TEACH I knew I had to share it with all of you. 
"TEACH, Academy Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim’s third documentary film about education in America asks the question: What Does It Take to Be A Great Teacher Today?
Following four dedicated teachers from different schools across the country over the course of one school year, TEACH gives viewers a window into the challenges, demands and rewards of teaching, with the purpose of elevating and promoting the profession, as well as engaging new teachers and supporting current teachers.  We see that for the best teachers, it’s not just a job but a mission. 
As intense as it is emotional, this year in the life of four public-school teachers illustrates how tenacity, passion and a belief in innovation drive these educators as they navigate the daily ups and downs of the 2012-2013 school year. These educators use conventional and unconventional methods and do whatever it takes to overcome obstacles and strive for success."

I'm so excited to be partnering with Participant Media to spread the word about the importance of good teachers! Did you ever want to be a teacher? What teachers have you had that impacted your life?