My “month of teaching” challenge
Learn more about my “month of a teaching” challenge and find out what inspired me to do this and how you can join me. Let’s share, teach, help, mentor and support one another on this journey!
My favorite part about birthdays, besides spending them with the people we love, is that we can use them to achieve something really good and meaningful like spreading awareness of something we care about or doing something to add to the cause we care about.
Here is what I mean by that:
Growing up, I was so lucky to be given the chance to have a good early childhood education, as well as to grow up with love, care, and support from my parents and family. I cannot begin to describe how meaningful these early experiences were for me because they have shaped me into the person I am today. And I am beyond thankful to all of my teachers and later professors for guiding me and teaching me about all those wonderful things around us.
Because of them, I have never stopped learning. They taught me how to expand my thinking and because of this, my curious and knowledge-hungry mind always seeks a new challenge, a new book, a new skill to learn.
“The influence of teachers extends beyond the classroom, well into the future. It is they who shape and enrich the minds of the young, who touch their hearts and souls. It is they who shape a nation’s future.” – F. Sionil José, author
That is why today, I am happy to dedicate my 32nd birthday to help support the professional development of teachers in Serbia who have such an important job in front of them: to help shape our young minds into champions of tomorrow.
Why teachers inspire me so much?
Teachers have always been the most significant moving force in the world. They shaped whole nations, inspired great and wonderful deeds, sparked curiosity in their students so they could make the most amazing discoveries this world has ever seen. They shaped champions and leaders, and yet, we almost never talk about them and how important they are.
So here is what I will be doing for the next month (and I might even take it further and make it a year-long challenge), and I’d like to invite you all to join me on this journey.
The Challenge
Every one of us can be and is a teacher. It doesn’t matter that we may not have the best pedagogy degrees under our belts, but we too play this role every day in helping our children become the best versions of themselves.
The whole point is that teachers don’t always have to sit in a school to make a difference. Each one of us has a great opportunity to impact someone’s life by only taking time to share the wisdom, lessons learned and the knowledge gathered. You and I, we too have the power to help shape the world into a far better place.
Here is what inspired me to do this:
Ever since I’ve become a mother, I have noticed how much information my little ones are absorbing from all the people that surround them: grandparents, family, neighbors, teachers, nannies, and friends included. They simply thrive on this kind of care.
Grandparents who share their life lessons with our kids in a form of lovely bedtime stories that I’m sure Stefan and Tara will remember for years to come. Uncles and aunts who always offer to help out whenever they can and without whom our little family gatherings would never be so memorable.
But let’s not also forget the nannies who dedicate their every minute to help not just our little ones but the whole family by easing us into the new life of parenthood. Then our teachers and tutors who always find the way to motivate our kids and us too, to learn even when we don’t feel like it.
And what about our kind neighbors? They too are such a great help because they always offer their understanding and support when they see us having a tough time teaching our kids about extreme sides of emotions. And they help us out without knowing by showing us that it’s ok to not always have a happy child all the time.
Hats down to all you, and to all of them, for being the most amazing teachers our kids can hope to have! Each one of you makes our world a better place every single day!
So here’s the big deal:
For the next month, I want to do a “month of teaching” challenge. I will share stories of what I did with my kids: Stefan and Tara, and how I tried and failed or succeeded to teach them something. I will share experiences we had and how they helped us to become better parents. Or at least the best we can possibly be. And I want you to join me by sharing your experiences too. We can all learn from one another and help each other on our way.
I promise you, things won’t always be rosy with us, but the truly great teachers never give up. They try to adapt their teaching in a way a child can still grow and prosper in some way, and that’s what I’m trying to do every single day.
I admire all of you — parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, friends, teachers, tutors, nannies — every single one of you involved with the raising of our children, and I can’t wait to learn from you too!
I’m already getting really excited about this! Are you?
Follow my stories and share yours with me and other parents in our facebook group: #Care4Kids
Good luck to all of us!