Remember that girl in class who knew everything? The one who would shoot her hand up in the air, waving it like she didn't care, begging the teacher to call on her? Remember the teacher trying to look anywhere else in the room to find someone, anyone other than this girl to give the answer?

Well, I've finally decided to call on that annoying girl, and you know what, she had the answer all along. Damn her! See, I've been searching for my "calling" in life. Asking close friends what I'm uniquely good at, sifting through ye olde memory banks to remember where I was happiest and most challenged. Everything kept coming back to the type of friend I am. AUGH! I can see the resume now:

Amanda Nicole Yost. 30 years old. Loyal, passionate and empathetic friend. Please hire me!

Pretty pathetic, eh? That's what I've thought for so long, until recently. Instead of having one annoying hand-waving answer machine in my line of sight, I've had multitudes over the years. When people have described me, they never express what I consider to be a bankable skill. I'd listen politely (sometimes) and always respond with, "great, but how can i get PAID for this?".

What I love most with my friends is hearing their stories. Whether it be the day-to-day stories of what happened at work, or the memories of childhood, or perhaps the more philosophical questions of life, I love it all! I also love being a voice for others when they either don't know how to share their story or are in a place where they simply can't. If you know me, you know I'm your biggest cheerleader. Time to start cheering for those who currently are sidelined with no cheering section to keep them going.

Those multitudes of hands shooting up in the air, begging to be called on, have finally been put to rest. I get it friends. At least I get it for the moment. I want to hear people's stories from around the world and, when possible, share them with whoever will listen. I really have no clue how to do this yet. None. Zippo. But I'll learn and I'll grow. I'm ready to take the leap out of the nest. Let's hope these wildly flapping wings will catch a gust of wind!

Uniquely Good?

"Finding your element is essential to personal fulfillment. If you don’t find the things which you are uniquely good at, there’s a sense that you don’t really know who you are."
Sir Ken Robinson

What am I uniquely good at? Perhaps this is why I still wander, wondering who I am.

Ideal Teacher in Amanda-World

The ideal classroom experience would be an exciting journey through complex worlds of literature, art, history, science and math. Every school would be outfitted with the crème-de-la-crème teachers; the ones who have shown an aptitude for opening new worlds of thought and for fostering an overall desire to learn.

The ideal teacher has an obvious interest and passion in the subject. She takes a long school day and makes it feel like a passing moment. She manipulates complex theories by breaking them down to elemental basics and then builds upon them like a master storyteller. Ideally, she is aware of and sensitive to classroom dynamics. Throughout the lesson, she studies the faces and responses of her students and redirects the teaching accordingly. She is aware when her light-hearted story turns into a mindless tangent, and hops back on track. She understands it is not her job to make students learn, but to create a scholarly environment for those who have the desire.

Ideally, the teacher will transform a basic curriculum into an intricate story of war, alliance, betrayal, greed, and triumph. Ideally, the professor would cause her students to become enraptured in multifaceted debates, all the while instilling how to vigorously disagree with respect. Ideally, she patiently listens to questions and heated statements and responds in such a way to cause students to question the very foundation of their own thought-process.

The ideal teacher offers more than information; she provides opportunities for students to realize the bounds of their currently operating paradigm and nudges them toward a more nuanced way of approaching the world.

Perhaps there is no clear right or wrong when it comes to “good” teaching, but there are some ideals that, at the very least, can become the base standard for reality.

Expectations of perfection are not realistic. Every teacher has an “off” day, sometimes an “off” semester. But it is the skilled and effective teacher who can realign themselves to become the ideal instructor.