I have been blessed to learn under some truly talented individuals. I've had leaders and peers who have pushed me beyond my limits - and who insisted I always bring my "A" Game. But when I think about a mentor who had a huge impact on me both professionally and personally, it would have to be my student teaching cooperating teacher, Jessica Sziksai.
I ended up in Jessica's classroom at A.C. Reynolds High School by the hand of God. Seriously! She was the teacher I needed right when I needed her. I was a senior at UNC Asheville, ready to take the teaching world by storm. I was full of ideas and inspiration, but I had no clue how the world (or schools) really worked. Jessica taught me how to "do school": how to manage the paper load while still giving students meaningful feedback, how to be kind and firm with students who pushed the limits, how to function on a larger faculty.
But more than that, Jessica taught me the importance of being present in your life. She impressed upon me the importance of telling people how much they mean to you, of being thankful for small blessings that happen, of recognizing grace when you encounter it. She taught me how to be a peaceful person - and while I'm still cultivating those lessons nearly 20 years later, she planted the seeds.
I will always be grateful to Jessica for investing in me at that pivotal time in my life. She made me, not only the teacher, but the person I am today.
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