pig flying

AND SO SHE DID.

If you had told me even two years ago that I would make a YouTube channel and create videos for all the world to access, I would have laughed. I’m not one who puts herself out there, so to speak, without trepidation. But that’s exactly what I have done. Why? Because I miss teaching people things SO much, and right now what I want to share is the joy that comes from making things out of paper to give away.

I came across a quote the other day attributed to John Adams that resonated with me: “Old minds are like old horses; you must exercise them if you wish to keep them in working order.”  Not that I consider myself old…far from it. Even though my granddaughter told me recently, “But you’re already old, Hess.” Unfortunately, I AM approaching that horrible birthday when the phone rings 13 times a day (no exaggeration) with telemarketers wanting to sell me Medicare supplements. My husband tells his friends that all us Boomers consider ourselves 15 years younger than our physical age. But most days I really do feel better, stronger, and healthier than I did 15 years ago. I’ve been working out with a personal trainer who shows no mercy for the past six years, and we eat a healthy, plant-based diet.

So, yes, I resist the “old” adjective, but I’m also receptive to tips for staying young, and keeping my mind in working order is a high priority.

I also try to be living proof that you can teach an old teacher new tricks. If not for the technology grant I became part of the last three years I was in the classroom, I wouldn’t have the skill set needed for this new challenge. But rather than run from the room when I discovered the grant was not just a gift of  a laptop and LCD projector, I accepted the challenge to become a 21st century teacher who became proficient enough with video editing and web-mastering to implement them in my English classes. If I wanted my students to become life-long learners, I knew that I needed to model that behavior for them. (I still remember how shocked my AP English students were the first year I told them that they would be required to complete a good quality multi-media product to communicate their research thesis to a broader audience in addition to their written I-Search paper.)

So, yes, I invested in a more powerful laptop, video editing software, and a tripod with an extender to hold my phone so that I can record little videos that teach people to make greeting cards. Nuts? Probably, but I’m having fun exercising my mind, and I now have 24 subscribers whom I consider my online students. It feels great to making lesson plans again!