Greetings, Captains of Industry!
My name is Luke Gattuso.
I come here in a time machine of my own creation. No, that's not right. I'm a 41 year old college student. I've worked at elementary schools since 1988, and now, barely twenty years later, I'm in my last semester at CSUN. Yes, I am a prodigy, an student genius! Bask in my glory!
I didn't start out planning to be a teacher. I didn't really plan to be anything, actually. I was taking computer science classes at Pierce College, but not really making any effort to pass them. I thought I wanted to be some sort of computer programmer, but the truth was that I found programming boring. I liked computers, but that was because they were fun, weird toys.
Eventually, I started working at an elementary school; not because of a great desire to teach, but because I had no job and my ex-girlfriend's boyfriend's mother was the office manager at an elementary school in Chatsworth, and she said they were looking for teacher assistants. I threw on the thrift-store sport coat I'd bought a few months before, interviewed with the principal, and suddenly I was an employee of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Then, something strange happened- I discovered that I actually liked working with kids. It might be the joy of watching young faces light up as they make connections, as they create and discover.
Or it might be that I'm mentally at the level of an eight year old child.
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4 comments:
I agree about computers, they are fun and weird, but why would you want that to be your work? BORING! I kind of fell into teaching too. I rejected for so long because both my parents were teachers and everyone would just say "oh teaching like your parents!" I wanted to be a hairdresser. Changing the world one perm and trim at a time. Then I realized I can deal with disgruntled parents a lot better than unsatisfied customers.
I have to say that you have an advantage over us all in the experience department. You sure have all of your 45 hours done for the program. You are going to breeze through the credential.
You must be super excited to be graduating! Also another side note, you remind me of the kindergarten teacher from the Baby Blues comic strip.
I think that it is very interesting that you wanted to work with computers but then fell in love with teaching. I have also worked with kids for several years at a summer day camp and decided I wanted to teach but it was not really until high school that I wanted to teach English. At first I actually wanted to be a writer but then found out how much more difficult that really was so instead I decided to become a teacher. You must be really excited to finally graduate from CSUN, i'm also finally graduating in a few months. It will be exciting to see what happens after college.
I know exactly how you feel regarding the way young faces light up as they make connections. When I tutored throughout high school there was always that moment. That 'ahhh' as they finally understood what I was trying to tell them. It was a great feeling, and when my original plan didn't work out I went back to that and thought, "Yeah. I'd like to do that more often."
I'm certain you'll make a fantastic elementary school teacher, though I'm still puzzled why you aren't doing the liberal arts program.
Luke...
a computer programmer? You in a cubicle all day warming yourself by the glow of a computer screen? Well thank goodness your sister's boyfriends dogs hairdresser's cousin fourth removed (or whatever it was) worked at that school! Despite the long road I think you really are in the right spot. I am sure you are amazing with those little kids, and don't cut yourself short- you have the mind of a ten year old at least!
See you in class..
Rachel
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