My Educational Journey
Let's Get Acquainted
Hello,
Welcome to your teaching tribe. You have now found your people. This is a community of like-minded educators who have a passion for education and all things teaching. We strive to make meaningful connections with our students and understand the great responsibility that comes with the coveted title of teacher. I am so glad you have made your way to my webpage and our paths have now crossed. I believe God puts people in your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Whether our time together is for a specific reason or as support for your season as a new teacher I wish you all the best in your educational journey.
This blog came out of my experiences as a classroom teacher for the last 21 years and my desire to help, uplift, strengthen, and offer support to colleagues new to what I consider the greatest profession, the profession that makes all other professions possible, teaching.
All I ever wanted to be was a teacher. As a child I dreamt of my future classroom and my future students. I know firsthand the impact of an amazing teacher and the ramifications of a struggling teacher. I made a commitment to myself in elementary school that I would become a teacher. I vowed to be the teacher who would lift my students up and make them believe that with hard work and dedication nothing would be impossible.
Upon graduating from college I entered the field of education where I became a middle school social studies teacher. I refer to my first 3 years of teaching as baptism by fire. Every illusion I had of teaching was shattered. I was quickly thrown out of my fairytale of what I thought teaching would be like, into the reality of what teaching actually was. By my 3rd year I faced the dilemma of continuing my teaching career or cutting my losses and moving on. By the grace of God I decided to continue teaching with a new-found commitment to help those who may also be struggling as a new teacher. I began hosting student teachers and being a mentor to new teachers within my building. I also committed to the goal of continuing my education and earning a doctorate in education so I could some day teach teachers how to teach and impact the greater educational community. Currently, I am on the new teacher board for the county in which I teach, an instructional coach within my school, as well as an 8th grade social studies teacher. So yes, I am still in the trenches with you all. I did in fact earn my doctorate in teaching and learning and at some point I would like to teach at the college level but as of right now I am not ready to leave my classroom and find profound satisfaction from helping new teachers hone their craft.
As a visitor here, you are part of a fantastic community. There is no judgement here, just support and encouragement for you on your educational journey. If you are feeling frustrated and need encouragement please reach out to me. I will not only offer personal support but will also use your questions and frustrations as the source of future blogs. Of course your personal information will never be shared. Your comments and questions provide encouragement for me to reach out and provide support to the next generation of teachers.
Thank you so much for being part of this community. Please feel free to reach out with issues you need assistance with. This is your tribe. This is your community. I am glad you are here.
Happy Learning!
Dr. Debi Graves
Announcement
New Blog
Art of Organization
Coming Soon!
Building a strong foundation: Parent Edition
Building a Strong Foundation: Student Edition