Why did I think I wanted to get into education? Where did that come from? I was a journalist. I was climbing the ladder of success. My next stop after moving to the city was supposed to get a copyrighter position for a big time firm. That didn’t happen. Then I changed directions. Why? How did I get here and where do I go next?
Actually it goes even further back to when I was still in high school. I thought about becoming a teacher sometime in the middle of 10th grade. It was around that time I learned I was pretty good with using the English language I thought why not become an English teacher. Immediately after high school I pursued a career as a musician with the thought I would study broadcasting in college or music production one of the two so I could get into radio production. Through a long windy road following that path I wound up in Journalism school then working as a beat reporter.
My first beat I was assigned was the Education beat. It was during this time that I started to develop a deep appreciation for what school districts do for our society. I started learning about all the wonderfully exciting things schools were doing for our children. I also quickly discovered I loved working with kids. Anytime I got to interview a child for the paper I was thrilled! My favorite was when they child did something amazing like the kid who won the National Spelling Bee!
It goes further back than that though. When I was still in college trying to decide upon a major and minor combo English Teacher was still in the back of my mind. At first I paired up Broadcasting Major with Theater minor then changed the minor to Political Science at the nudging of my journalism professor. I nearly changed it to teaching my 3rd semester of college but something held me back. That was fear. I was afraid of all the work it would require. A Broadcasting degree is a fairly easy degree to pursue loads of blow off classes like media studies.
That first day on the job at my first news reporter position my editor told me how the two were intertwined. His grandmother, former editor of the newspaper, was also an educator for a number of years. The staff writer I was replacing was leaving to be an English Teacher. My editor himself left to become a college professor. The career path of a journalist inevitably winds its way towards education. It’s the natural progression as by and large if you boil it down a journalist already is an educator of sorts. Thus I was kind of prepping for this my whole life.
I am excited to finally be working at the position of teaching assistant. I got my foot in the door. Now all I have to do is excel so I can navigate the winding road I am sure to follow through the educator career path. What a journey it has been getting here.
Stephanie Bri 