Teaching as an Encore Career
I love film. I especially love films that uplift and inspire. When
they're based on a true story about a teacher who's making a difference
in students' lives, I'm in heaven. I took a trip there recently when I
had the privilege of seeing the outstanding documentary, Pressure
Cooker.
Pressure Cooker is a fascinating journey to Frankford High School in a
working class neighborhood of Philadelphia, where teacher Wilma
Stephenson teaches culinary arts. This culinary arts class does not
remotely resemble the home economics classes of my childhood, nor do
Mrs. Stephenson's blunt, one-of-a-kind, in-your-face, boot camp-style
teaching methods remind me of the gentle teachers who taught me how to
make gelatin salads and cinnamon toast. But, boy, does Mrs. Stephenson
get results.
The film follows the stories of three students who thrive over two
semesters under Mrs. Stephenson's unorthodox tutelage, and the grand
finale is the awards ceremony where scholarships to the most prestigious
culinary schools in the nation are handed out. Not every student has the
wherewithal to survive in Mrs. Stephenson's classroom, but those who do
find themselves championed by an
extraordinary woman whose purpose, passion and commitment inspires them
to exceed all expectations. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll be
inspired by the determination -- sometimes at amazing odds -- that fuels
these amazing kids forward. You'll have to see the film to see how they
fare!
Granted, Wilma Stephenson has been teaching for 38 years, so you could
argue that it might be time she begins looking for her own encore
career. But, you'd be missing the point.
According to a MetLife Survey, 40% of college-educated adults say they
would consider teaching in the future. Are you one of them?
Like the former pastry chef who teaches children to cook in a fun, party
setting, while imparting real life skills. Or the retired IBM executive
who's making biology (his first love) interesting and fun for his middle
school students. Consider which of your gifts you might bring to the
classroom, how you could inspire young minds, and if the idea of
teaching inspires you.
If you're thinking this might be the perfect path for you, but you're
not sure and you'd like to take it for a test drive, check out
Experience
Corps. Experience Corps is a wonderful organization with mentoring
and tutoring programs in schools around the country. You could provide
literacy training for or mentor a young person at risk while you're
determining if teaching is for you.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Encore Career Coach
Coach Lin Schreiber, author of the popular ABC's of Revolutionizing
Retirement, helps self-reliant women reinvent themselves in the next
stage of life, formerly known as "retirement," by designing a new encore
life that includes a fulfilling
encore
career. To claim your free Encore Career Starter Kit,
visit her site at =====>
http://www.EncoreCareerStarterKit.com
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