There are several ways my teaching is impacted by the individuals who influenced me the most. For example, my mentor constantly instilled in me the need to belong to professional organizations, be involved, and be connected to continue growing as a professional. This led me to take risks such as participating in two Fulbright Exchanges and teaching in Finland for a full school year. Being immersed in a new culture helped me appreciate language barriers and different cultures in a way that other professional learning would not have accomplished. Patience, understanding, and empathy are inherent now when working with second language speakers in the classroom.

The impact of having a veteran teacher guide me through the nuances of our profession early in my career was an extremely positive experience that not only kept me in the profession during some of my more challenging years, but also helped me thrive. Perhaps the most positive impact was instilling in me the drive to give back to new teachers by providing the same level of support that I found so valuable.

While I don’t see returning to Finland to teach, continuing to learn new strategies to meet the needs of diverse learners is something that will continue to drive my professional growth.