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My dad is incredibly patient, kind, generous, and thoughtful. He is my hero. He has always been there to catch me when I needed catching. He has always helped me when I needed helping, no matter what kind of help it was. He is also the voice of reason in my family, and is one of the most logical people I know--but it's logic tempered with heart. He is a great teacher, with a tendency to lecture about a subject he finds interesting. Fortunately for me, he has inspired my interest in a great number of subjects he finds interesting--the Civil War, United States history in general, modern politics, trains, educational methods, and the Western United States. He's not much for watching movies, especially at the theater. He likes to drink beer because he's allergic to wine, and he probably has about five cups of coffee a day. He is well-respected by people in his field, and more importantly, respected by the people who work under him.
I have learned a lot about what it means to be a leader from my father, and what it means to be a real teacher. Being a teacher isn't about always being right; in fact, sometimes it means being wrong. It isn't necessarily about helping people, either. It's more about turning on the light in the room so they can see in the dark. In fact, when teachers get caught up in the "I'm right and you're wrong" game...they should probably think about quitting.
I'm already utilizing a lot of what my dad has taught me in being a nanny. In taking care of children I use some simple techniques I learned from my mother (as far as keeping them busy and entertained goes) and some complicated teaching techniques I learned from my father. Basically, I use the same "processing" methods a teacher would use in a classroom, which lets the kids I care for tell me what they've learned. It reinforces the lesson and improves their memory--even if the activity doesn't seem to be about learning something, there is usually a lesson involved, and that's how it always was in my home. I'll do the same thing when I'm a parent--education in my house never ceased, and I think I'm better off because of it.
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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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