Why Did I Become a Teacher

Kathy mentioned that we should review our personal mission statements and ask ourselves "Why did we become teachers?" For me that's an easy question to answer since I became a teacher later in life. I simply needed to continue to follow my passion for art and design and take it to another level, which for me was sharing my abilities with K-12 students. When my own kids were young I volunteered weekly at their elementary school, Southtowns Catholic School. The principal at the time was Jerry Baldelli, and at a PTA meeting, he asked us parents to write down an anonymous wish for the school and place it in a box. I wrote that I wished the school could have a mural or some type of art that represented our lively and energetic student body. All the hallways in the school were painted beige, and there was very little color to be found in the building. The school looked like an old hospital to me and I hated it. To make a long story short, my anonymous note became my own six month project involving two hundered students painting full length, self-portraits on primary colored walls. After that experience I re-evaluated my professional life and realized that I spent most of my time designing print materials that talked people into buying products, eating in specific restaurants or visiting local attractions. I needed more, and wanted to channel my abilities into something more meaningful. So I made the decision to work towards my art certification once both my children reached Middle School age. By the way, I started my college education at Buffalo State in 1978 as an Art Education major and changed it to Design in my senior year. Funny how life turns out, I have truly come full circle with no regrets and know in my heart that my art teaching career was meant to be.