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  A comment on Conversation: How did you find you life's work and passion after age 40? Is it possible?

  May 30 2012: Woody -
  At 40, I left a solid career in network management and database administration to return to school to become a teacher. I had always considered teaching but always ignored that "little voice" inside my head. So, I finally listened and am now a Technology Education teacher. (Some time ago this was industrial arts or "shop.") After changing careers, I found myself wishing that I had gone into teaching first. After a great deal of being "down" on myself about lost opportunities, I realized that I am a far better teacher now than I would have been earlier. All my experiences have made me who I am now and given me the perspectives and dispositions that I find so helpful in the classroom and shop.
  So, my advice is simple. Don't fret about being lost. Try something new. If its doesn't work out, try something else. You may be surprised to discover that your past "unfulfilling" work ends up being an asset in your new professional life.
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  A reply on Conversation: Children's schools should have an "Imagination" period

  May 30 2012: There can be certain teaching methods but these are, at best, starting points to "seeding" learning in the classroom and other settings. It is rare that any given method or approach works consistently even when working with a single student - we all change a bit each day. Effective teaching depends on constant negotiation between teacher and student. Sometimes the negotiation centers on the immediate content to be learned, other times on the contexts or methods. In considering diversity, perhaps we need to stop thinking about differences alone. As a teacher, I look for what a student and I may have in common and ways to leverage that to facilitate learning. Sometimes it does not take much - maybe only one song, a movie, or favorite food - to start a conversation, build a connection. I find it is more effective to establish a "learning partnership" with each student individually rather than treat students as members of a class that I teach as a single unit. It can be slow going at times but it is worth the effort. Early in the school year, there is sometimes more relationship building than "learning". However, later on, the quality of learning is so much better that it compensates for a slow start.