My greatest influence to become a teacher was two teachers I had in high school. My English teacher for grade 11-12 was Ms. Martin. She taught me about concepts that would inspire me for the rest of my life. Existentialism inspired me at that time quite deeply, and she taught this unit with a classic movie: “Harold and Maude.” She reminisced about the beat poets speaking poetry aloud at City Lights books deeep into the night. She inspired me to share Allen Ginsberg’s poem “Howl” with the class. I also remember teaching by using music to teach the lesson, using records by the Talking Heads and Pink Floyd. Her teaching blended arts and humanities in a way that I aspire to do.
Mr. Vepraskas was my choir teacher in high school. He took me under his wing, like a father. He helped me out on a personal level when I was going through a difficult period in my life. I will be forever grateful for his support and artistic inspiration.
My metaphor for teaching is a salt grinder. The teacher is like a grinder, grinding the salt of the Earth from her students. She brings their potential to life and inspires them to act.
