Self Improvement

Copyright (c) 2009 Lin Schreiber

I love film. I especially love films that uplift and inspire. When they are 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 instructor 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 instructors 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 astonishing 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 children 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 state they wouldThink about teaching in the future. Are you one of them?

Like the former pastry chef who teaches kids to cook in a fun, celebration 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 are 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, http://www.experiencecorps.org. 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 are determining if teaching is for you.

Certified Retirement 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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This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 at 4:07 pm and is filed under Self Improvement. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.