A Sunday Morning Sprint Down Memory Lane

Is a decade a long time? Depends who you ask, right? Fruit flies vs. Redwoods. My teaching in Madison for a little over a decade has given me enough time to see changes in myself.
I can look back and see that while my goal of being an effective teacher has not changed, the tools I need to achieve that goal have. Some resources that were more abundant in my earliest days of teaching: novel experiences, a more resilient and efficient body, and a more single-minded existence have been blended with or traded in for new tools: a greater appreciation for the myriad ways to do this work, a larger group of people whom I can count as friends...

Perhaps this profession has made me more aware of my own trip through life due to all the memorable moments and people I`ve had the opportunity to interact with. Student successes, humorous moments, and problem-solving scenarios all erode slowly from my memory. I look back at those times, and ask myself ``Why did I do that?``, or ``I don`t see that anymore!``.

I guess I`m introspective at times. I`d like to claim that trait if I may. Humor, a willingness to be fallible (but not too often), and putting all that life throws at you on the Big Continuum so you can give it the right amount of attention or lack thereof is what I`m digging out of my tool box currently.