curve shift

Oh yeah, I'm going to Rwanda to teach kids.

I knew that, but these three months since finding out I was accepted by WorldTeach have been incredibly narcissistic ones, focused mainly on how I had to prepare myself for living in a foreign country. I've been practicing my Kinyarwanda, keeping up with Rwandan news, getting advice about how/what to pack, wrapping things up at work, etc. But now that I'm just three more short months away from leaving, I'm getting really excited about preparing to teach in a foreign country. Or to teach at all. I don't know if I'm going to be good at this. So many delicious unknowns.

On the recommendation of Ian over at Sup Teach?, I've been reading dy/dan and loving it. He's realistic and manages to combine optimism, anecdote, methodology, and the occasional rant in a perfect blend which I think would make even the scroogiest kid-hater excited about teaching. This stood out today:

DM: Your students will excavate with profound determination and speed every social anxiety you thought you buried. It will take them minutes to decide that you are insecure about your appearance. Do not wonder if they notice your post-adolescent pimple. They do. They will exploit these anxieties as often as you allow them to. Determine quickly what matters to you and rid your psyche of the rest. Interest yourself in your students as often and as genuinely as possible. Love this job. Love your students. I'm not kidding about that last one even though I'm positive my 21-year-old self would have scoffed at that kind of attachment. Take it from me, please: you do not want to be the teacher I was when I was 21.

It's good to remember that this is about them more than it's about me. No, I'm not going into a soppy gloppy "I'm doing this for the children" spiel. I'm not at all mixed up about who I'm doing this for. But when I'm in the classroom, it'll be a big help to remember that the point of my being there is for them to learn something, not for me to come off as nice or sharp or funny or smart or whatever. If my social anxieties get excavated in the process, I look forward to seeing how that goes. Bring it on, kiddos.

Not sure if anyone catches my drift here, but I'm more excited than nervous about teaching and that's more than I've hoped for. Thanks again to Ian and Dan!