….and right now you are all picturing that classic scene where Jack Nicholson peeks through the door with that crazed look in his eye. I promise you I have better hair.
Now admit it, you missed me. I’m like a train wreck, you know you should look away, be respectful, but you just can’t help it, you must peek. So go ahead, peek at my drivel. It’s not like I write anything important or intelligent, heck, I just write what comes into my goofy brain. It’s good for a laugh.
Alright, I’m done fluffing myself up. The real reason you read my blog is because the teacher told you to. I understand. I’m doing my best to make it not dry, and truthfully, it’s about as real as I get. That’s one thing I will admit, this blog is honest, I write what I feel and what I think, as crazy as it might sound. And I am sure, sometimes it sounds pretty darned crazy.
So why are you back, you might ask…or not. I am still going to tell you. After I finished the PIDP, which I did successfully, thank you very much (yay me!), I was told by two instructors that I should consider doing the online teaching thing, that I was witty, (a nice word for sarcastic/obnoxious) and had a way of explaining in plain language that people would understand. So I started thinking about it. The world is changing, everyone is attached to one another by electronics and the educational possibilities are becoming endless. Pretty much anything can be learned online, by a formal education format, websites and good ol’ Google. I live in a small community, and even though we have a community college, they aren’t always offering the courses that I could consider teaching. However, if I learn to teach using an online format, I can stay in my beautiful little city and in my messy little office and still be of some assistance to someone, somewhere, well, anywhere. Cool. So here I am….again. Still…..
As a somewhat shy person (contrary to what my husband thinks) I am looking forward to the online teaching program. One of the biggest hurdles I had with taking the PIDP is that I had to stand up in front of a group of people and share my knowledge. I feared being judged, being ridiculed, being outsmarted, etc. Then I taught a class in simple baby sign language. I had a blast! My class was interested in what I had to say, shared with me what they already knew, and challenged me to keep up and give them something to think about. How exhilarating…sort of. I went home afterwards and dissected every small step I had taken in that class.
Now, I’m sure that it probably wasn’t nearly as bad as I felt it was. And I have been approached by some of the students from that class asking when they can expect part 2, so it couldn’t have been all bad. I know I am very critical of myself, for lots of things, why should this be any different. But I think with the online format, I can be more me, that the feeling of all eyes on me will be diminished because I am only looking at my screen, or talking to one person at a time, when Skype calling or other online chatting systems. Plus, this really opens up opportunities for me to teach the things I know and love.
I have told you all(like there is more than one person reading this..) before, I am first and foremost a child care provider, advocate, preschool teacher, interventionist/consultant. So many of the courses for this field are going digital and are provided through amazing institutions for the online world. I feel like I need to learn how to instruct in an online format, or get left in the dust. So I am going to give it a shot. And besides, I’m getting a little long in the tooth and my retirement fund is pretty skinny, so retiring soon is not going to be an option, for quite a while. I think if I teach online, I can do it for a long time, as long as my brain stays intact (ish). Maybe I will be like my Grandmother. My mom always teased, “Nana, your engine is great, but your wheels fell off!” I really hope my engine revs for a long time. ‘Til next time folks…ok….buddy. (Just keeping it real).
Kimberly Williams 