Career Day

On Friday, I had the super-cool privilege of hanging out at Magsig Middle School for their 8th grade Career Day.

All morning I got to flap my gums about my passionate j-o-b. Willingly, of course. I had 5 classes of about 20 students eager to learn about photography, what we do, and how we do it. All of the kids were dressed professional in their dresses, shirts-and-ties, and their shiny black shoes. I'd even go as far as saying some of them put gel in their hair.

I have to give mad props to all the teachers that read this blog. I never had any idea what it was like being a teacher until I started volunteering to do these Career Days.

Wow.

Two things I have learned about teaching....and I don't even do it to the level of real teachers....

1) You have to have a voice. Like a YEAH-CAN-YOU-HEAR-ME-I'M-TALKING voice. Definitely helps to have one of those. Oh, and keep the Sucrets handy, too. I was horse by the end of the 5th session and couldn't talk without sounding like Marge Schott until later that afternoon.

2) You'll need a good memory. I said the same thing over and over and over and by the time the 4th session came thru I forgot half of what I should have told them, thinking I had ALREADY told them. Thank goodness for my awesome volunteer, Mendy. She kept me on track.

And while I'm boasting on teachers, I just want to say how awesome the technology is nowadays. I can remember when I was in high school and Mr. Dunn had to do algebra problems on rolls of acetate on the overhead projector. Not anymore. No more smudge marks across the acetate from leftys. Nope. Now they have these super cool Smart boards -- these really cool projectors with these pen thingamajigs that let you write directly on the websites you're displaying, or use your finger as a mouse to navigate thru the internet. Waaaaay cool! My internal technogeek was all out!

If anyone were to ask me what my favorite part of my job is, I always, always say "working with kids". Especially the 2 and 3 year-olds. But working with big kids is pretty fun, too. Their minds work in a completely different way.

According to Mrs. Leeper, the Career Day Coordinator, photography had the biggest response of student interest (no wonder I had so many sessions with the most kids). Photography over pilots, architects, chefs, cosmotologists, and vets. Really!

It's so exciting for me to think that something I might have said, something I might have shown them may have bit them with the same bug that keeps me itching with the same passion. It is that very reason that will keep me doing these Career Days...