T is for Teaching; The universal responsibility to educate

My Mom has taught me to
never give up, no matter how
far away your goal is.

I've waited to write this post for a long time not because it fits with the theme of this blog, but because of what I've learned about teaching this summer.  Working at the Department of Education, you'd expect that I'd learn a little about education, and at least come out of it with informed opinions about what is going on in our education system.  I have done that, but there's one additional part of this experience that isn't as obvious; I have learned what it really means to teach. (And in celebration of that, I've filled this post with images of only some of the amazing teachers I've had in  my life!)

Professor Smita Rahman has taught
me how to follow my passions, even
when the future is unclear.

Without being cliche, I would first like to say that everyone, regardless of age, educational attainment, race, sex, etc. is a teacher.  We are all teachers, even if some are a little better at teaching than others.  Hopefully you've taught someone something before, and hopefully you've taught yourself something, too.  If you're a supervisor, you can be a teacher.  If you're receptionist, you can be teacher.  If you're a cab driver, you can be a teacher. No matter your position, you are a teacher if you choose to be.  And if you've decided to be the type of teacher that gets paid for teaching, I commend you for taking on such a big responsibility in society.  The sacrifices teachers and professors make for everyone else's children is a much larger task than many people know.  But from what I've learned, this responsibility is absolutely not their personal burden to bear.

My Grandmother has taught
me that you can never
love (or read) too much.

You're probably wondering now where I'm going with all of this.  If I have learned one thing this summer (and don't worry, I've learned so much more), it is that everyone needs to take an active role in education.  This is coming from the girl who has always said (and will continue to say) "I don't think teaching is for me."  Yes, I've been told by many that I would make a good teacher and frankly, if that was the position I decided to take, I would do my best at it.  But the reality in my life, and the reality in the world today is that you do not need to have a license or permission in order to make an impact in someone else's life, especially the life of a child.

Mackenzie Cremeans, my AXO sister,
has taught me (literally) that if there
is a will, you  can (and will) find a way.

When I come back to Indiana and to DePauw, I hope that my future work will reflect what I've learned this summer.  I don't hope to be doing the same statistical analysis, but if someone else needs help planning an important presentation or analyzing a set of data, I will teach them what I know.  Just as my intentions with this blog were to inspire and show someone how to go about getting and being successful at an internship, I will make every effort to teach others things that I am familiar with.

For an ending thought to this wonderful "T" blog about teaching, I find it interesting that society as a whole is so incredibly critical/hard on teachers.  If you buy into my theory that everyone should choose to be a teacher (which you should because I've tested it, it's true...), everyone should be taking responsibility for meeting whatever standards of information we decide that the next generation should know.  The saying "It takes a village to raise a child," has never been more warranted.  I feel that I've only just begun my education even though I'm in my 16th year of school, but I'll keep learning, and now teaching every single day for the rest of my life.

If you find yourself pictured in this post, but don't consider yourself a teacher, know that you've been a teacher to me in some way, shape, or form, a testament to the fact that everyone should make teaching their personal priority.

Dubois County Community Foundation
staff and community.