Starving

So you know how you were a baby once, right? And the only thing you can eat is breast milk or formula? 

Pretty blah, right?

Then you eat oatmeal and you're thinking, "Man that stuff has a funny texture and tastes funny". Then comes baby food, "What?! stuff as flavor?" (Except those yucky kinds-like green beans-spit that stuff right out!)

AND THEN YOU GET TEETH! (Ouch!)

"What?! I can chew stuff?!-- This food is awesome!!! Bananas!? Spaghettios!? Holy moly!" And you want to eat all the time. Food food food, yum yum yum!

You are seriously starving to get a bite of your mom's food (even though you have a plate of your own). 

It's like once you get a taste of how delectable food is, you want it all the time!

It's kinda like I am an infant teacher (ok so I AM an infant teacher.) 

Started out this year kinda bland, testing the waters, getting a feel for how to do this thing called being a teacher. 

And then you try out some new ideas, trying to learn some new stuff [ahem] I mean teach new stuff. (but hey to teach is to learn right?).  And slowly things start to gain flavor. 

You start succeeding and gaining confidence, the classroom starts gaining personality, you're starting to get a feel for this 'eating' stuff. Sure, you taste a couple of bad experiences (green bean baby food-real green beans are the bee's knees), but you spit those out and carry on.

Now comes those teeth! Oooh ooow! Those growing pains hurt! But look at that! Some pearly whites to start chewing on stuff! I think I am in this phase. The phase where you just came through some growing pains as a teacher, but you started to get a real taste of what it's like to be a successful teacher. Your kids somehow learned more than you taught them!! (wahoo!) You soak up every opportunity to learn from experienced teachers- ideas, centers ideas, behavior management, cooperating with coworkers. Now you are starving!!! Everything has bold new flavors and you can't stop eating, can't stop learning. You want to go to tons of Professional Developments to learn as much as you can, now that you know how to apply it. (Boy, who would've thought I would LOVE PD's.) And you do what I just did and pin a ka-jillion things on pinterest to make over the summer and start reading blogs like they're spaghettios! 

I am starving for knowledge, starving for strategies, starving for any sort of advice teachers have to offer. Starving for the next chance to become a better teacher to the students entrusted to me. 

Growing is hard sometimes, and it can really hurt. But looking back at where you came from and realizing that you have learned something, and you have gotten better; it's an awesome feeling. 

So, uh, ya. On that note. I'm hungry now.

And now you know how much I like food. (a lot) :D