From a different perspective...

The evidence is telling, it's a fact, one I'm both okay with, yet ponder, that is, I'm not a teacher.

I've never managed a K - 12 Classroom, and probably never will. I've never experienced the pressure of school aged students hoovering around me, all asking questions of me at the same time. The thrill, the pressure, I've not been there. Yet I've long admired, and respected, those who have the gift of handling that sort of pressure. The curriculum, the parents, the kids, the lesson plans, the tests, the grades....how do they do it all. But despite the fact that I'm not a teacher:

• I am a trainer who has developed curriculum to support adult learners.
• I've worked with teachers to help them develop programs for grant funding.
• I am passionate about schools of choice.
• I constantly look at experiences as learning opportunities.
• I understand the learning beyond the results of a test.
• I realize that learning which occurs outside of the classroom walls is as much, or more valueable, than that happening in the classroom.
• I can recognize what teaching methods work for me as a learner, at this point in my life, both in the classroom and in everyday work situations.
• I think someday I think I'd like to be one.

As I reflect on my professional experience, I realize that I come to the table with a rather diverse background. On one hand, the variety of experience is an asset, while on the other hand it lends itself to a broad view of situations that may stray from traditional thinking. Although my perspective may sometimes be the catalyst of discussion, it also may prompt a shift in thinking.

So as I continue through Ped II and understand more about learning and instructional design, I hope to build the confidence I need to converse with understanding and conviction, among educators and students alike. I remain aware of my own metacognition as I wade through the concepts critical to effective instructional design for diverse learners.