Why did I ever want to be a teacher?

SO when people ask, "What do you want to be when you grow up?", little child me wanted to be:

 1. A Ballerina 

2. A nurse and

3. A Teacher!

How did my teaching journey ever begin?

It's so weird when people ask me when did I become a teacher, because I feel like I've kinda always been one.  I remember in second grade my teacher having me help and teach other classmates who were struggling.  I remember teaching my younger brothers things ALL the time.  But, officially, when I was 14, I started helping the neighbor's daughter with piano.  Did I know how to teach?  Nope.  But I did know I loved helping others learn and seeing how they would light up every time they "got it" finally!

As a teenager I ended up growing a music studio of almost 20 students!  I loved what I did!  I didn't know official learning theories, and I definitely didn't know music theory and proper things like I do now, but I did know I loved my students and would do anything to watch them learn.

I took a break in my early 20's to work on my nursing degree, and also worked as an Army Medic.  Over two years (not including my teen years working as a CNA) I focused on helping others and work towards a nursing degree.  Before I could finish my degree, other health issues arose in our family, and I had to step down from that.  That did, however, open up the doors to become a Music Major!  I was very fortunate to work with some great musicians and teachers and I become much more proficient in music than I already was!  Over those two years of getting my associate degree, every teacher said the same thing.  They said I made a great teacher, even though I wasn't the best performer.  Instead of continuing on with Music Performance, I wanted to do Music Education.  Sadly I didn't have the resources or time to finish at a local college due to the needs of my husband and four children, I wasn't able to be on campus. 

Over these years, I had started homeschooling.  At first it was just to keep my toddler and I busy for an hour a day with "learning time", but as we continued to have children and as I continued to teach them, I learned SO much with hands on experience.  I continued to teach music both at home and at a local studio, and I also continued to homeschool our kids and, at times, other families too.  I spent a year in a private school where I learned that so much of the experience I had with homeschooling made me a very good "real life" teacher  in a classroom setting!  My love for teaching just continued!  I worked in Sunday Schools, music studios, and with other kids as much as I could.  Each experience and student taught me new learning styles, new teaching styles, new accommodations, and I spent several years getting some fantastic experiences.  

I felt SO fortunate to find an amazing online college!  I was excited, but I could only do Elementary Education.  I figured, if anything else, it'd make me a better "home-school teacher" for my own kids!  Over the next two years I finished a four year degree (oftentimes doing double semesters in one), and discovered that a majority of my homeschooling years transferred into what I was learning in school.  As I continued to progress, I discovered that my love for learning and teaching others just continued to grow even more!

People ask me ALL THE TIME.... "why get a degree if you just home-school?"  "why do all this work for just your kids?"  

Why?  Why?  Why?

Why, I tell you, is because I truly LOVE teaching.  I love the relationships I have with my students, and I love knowing that a small part of their future and their lives was impacted in some way with my love of learning.  

I remember at ten years old watching Mr. Hollands Opus the movie, and I remember realizing that I wanted a legacy like his.  No one may ever remember my name, and I may oftentimes be looked down on, but at the end of his life he had affected HUNDREDS of students!

If I do nothing else with my life, I pray that I show kids the love of learning something new. Whether it be music, math, science, or adventures, I want them to see that there is something in life they can succeed at!  My goal is always to find that in each child, and nourish it so they can feel confident and loved as they continue in their lives.

This last year, several students that I had ten years ago, came back and told me thank you.  Thank you for loving them, and showing them music, and showing them the beginning of a journey.  Some continued music and are now in college, some did other things, but none of them ever forgot their teacher. 

I look back and think of the incredible teachers I had over my life.  Although most of them may never know it, they had profound influences on me and my life now.  They developed that love of learning and that desire to teach others!  Thank you to all my teachers I have ever had.  Thank you to all the parents that allow me to work with your kids.  At the end of the day, when the days get hard, I'm thankful that God has led me down a path that I love and can be successful with. 

Teach them freedom before its too late!

This year Fourth of July was particularly hard for me.  In a time when we are supposed to be celebrating our freedoms I'm watching the world around us shut down and isolate.  Every where we go people are covered in masks, and there is a sense of panic and fear no matter where we go.  I look back on normal fourth of July's for us and think of the balloon glows, the fireworks, the family time, and the festivities!  Why do we do all this celebration??  To remind us that a long time ago people who wanted to be FREE from government tyranny and oppression stood up and FOUGHT for their freedoms and instated a government that would support and enable those freedoms, not take them away. 

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” - Ronald Reagan 

I look ahead to where my children might be when they finally become adults, and unless we teach them now and we continue to fight for their freedoms, there won't be much for them in the future.

Always teach our children WHY we have a free country!  Fourth of July is not just America's birthday, but it's a celebration of when a small group of people stood up and fought against England (one of the most powerful countries at the time) and created their own independence from the rule of that country.  We have a flag that represents the unity and power of the 50 United States.  It shows the bloodshed given from generations of soldiers who fought to defend our freedoms and help us keep the freedoms we enjoy today.

When I was a child we always would say how free we are.  We are free to have a church and our Bible.  We are free to choose to home school or not.  We are free to choose vaccinations or not.  We are free to choose HOW we worship and pray.  We are free to choose what jobs we want.  In America, we are free to choose pretty much anything.

I never in my wildest dreams thought I would look around me and see churches afraid to worship, governments shutting down businesses and citizens in the name of security.  I never thought I would have to explain to my children that it's now illegal to meet in groups and we must wear masks and have a constant state of fear around us.  

Our boys come from a lineage of American soldiers.  Freedom is not just an arbitrary thing that someone fought for.  Freedom is the reason their father is permanently disabled and sick.  Freedom is the reason their grandparents fought and served.  Freedom is the reason we have everything we do today.

If we don't continue to teach our children the importance of freedom and to stand up against tyranny, then their generation will never know freedom.  It is quickly disappearing if we don't do something to stand up against it!!

TRUE freedom is found in God, Bible, and serving.  We founded this country on religious freedom and Independence!  Teach our children to serve others, love others, and fight for those around us.  Don't just inwardly cower and hide, but stand up for not only our country and liberty, but for our GOD GIVEN right to freedom!

Let this be a wake up call as you watch everything around you shutter, shut down, and people quietly letting it happen.  We are not losing our freedoms in a war, but with the people quietly allowing it all to happen without saying a thing against it.  BE the difference, RAISE the difference, and don't let the next generation have nothing left of their freedoms. 

It's a small world some days.. thankful for our community.

Hey world!  

Lately it's been feeling like a small word a little bit.  I've lost close friends (yet again) due to things that were outside of my control.  Every time a long time friend steps away it hits me hard.  I feel like we have lost so much in our lives, so each person who walks away hurts even more.

I'm not mad at anyone. I know it's probably even my fault a lot of the time.  I am a LOT of emotions, and our life is a LOT of up and downs and crises.  We try our best to keep it stable for our kids, but we are not the traditional family.  Our "normal" is so far outside of most peoples normal that they don't even know how to handle it.  Our family has become so desensitized so things that we also don't even see it a lot of times.  

Things that are "normal" to us that we are learning are hard on others:

My husband is home full time

We have a LOT of health crises

My kids have a morbid sense of humor

We all have a lot of big emotions we do our best to process

We travel a lot

We seem to have an "easy" life financially, even though we don't

Things that people don't see:

Yes, we struggle a LOT with our mental health, but we are constantly working to show grace and love and grow as a family.  You don't see the days we cry and snuggle and try to process how hard things are and happen.

Yes, my husband is home full time.  You don't see his PTSD, his episodes, his struggles.  You also don't see how much he loves his boys and is there for them a LOT at home, even if he's not in public. You don't see that through his struggles he's raising three incredible young men.

Yes, we seem to have an easy life financially.  You don't see the damage and sacrifice that my husband made for that

.  

You don't see the hours we invest into music business, college, and things to make sure our kids are well provided for. 

Yes, we love our life.  We love our kids.  But we also know that it's not easy for others to be a part of all the time.

DO know this.  

We will LOVE you unconditionally. 

We will SUPPORT and be there for you as much as we can!

We will be there to ENCOURAGE you with homeschooling, children, marriage, and any way we can.

We will be there for BIBLE studies, and prayer through the hardships.

We may not always be what you need, and you may need to walk away and that's okay.  But, for those who are here for whatever season we are in, we welcome you and love you!

It's a small and crazy world, but at times knowing we have a community of friends that is constantly changing and evolving is encouraging for me.

The hard days I'm thankful for those friends I can call and they will show up when we hurt!  For those that used to be there and had to walk away, I'm still thankful for you too!  Even if our paths have changed, know that we love you always, you are in our prayers often, and if life brings us back together, we will be there for you openly always!