Usually when I tell people that I have my degree in English, their response is, “So, do you want to be a teacher?” And, I often respond with a smirk, a small laugh, and a simple response, “No.” While the idea of teaching has often crossed my mind, something has always held me back (some of you who teach might be thinking, “divine providence.”) When I met Brenda and heard about Path Finders my interest immediately piqued. I looked at the Path Finders website, and sent Brenda an email right away asking if I could come in and see first hand the work they do.
I came in that next week, observed Lauren working with a few kids, and couldn’t stop myself from thinking, “THIS is what kids need!” I knew I didn’t want to be a teacher because of my frustrations with standardized testing and how harsh they could be on kids; but when I saw the type of work that went on in Path Finders, my frustrations were alleviated and turned into joy and excitement.
I have been working here for about a month now, and am still enamored with Path Finders (I know that this is rare for many people after their first month of a new job.) I am proud to be a part of it, and am so blessed with getting to see students happy about learning and finding success in areas that often give them the most trouble. Like Lauren’s last post, this is why I wanted to work here.
Joey