When I was a kid, growing up in Philadelphia, all that I wanted was to have my mom as my teacher. She was a special educator in a public school in Philly, and she was amazing. Kids showed up in her class presenting as nonverbal autistic, and by the end of the year, were raising their hands to enthusiastically answer questions, had a million friends and vibrant social lives, and most importantly, loved learning.

I thought my mom was the coolest teacher ever.

Fast forward, oh, say, 22 years. I’ve quit my job as an entertainment journalist to become an educator. Specifically, I’m becoming a NYC public school special educator with the NYC Teaching Fellows program. It would be an understatement to say I’m very scared.

There are more than enough challenges ahead, and I’m ready to face them with courage. It doesn’t mean that I’m not afraid I might not be up to the task. I am excited about teaching, thrilled that the Fellows believes I’m capable, and worried that they made a mistake in accepting me.

I’ve spent the last six years of my life in corporate America, at the country’s most profitable media company, doing work that was utterly unsatisfying to me. Sure, it was something that made peoples’ eyes pop when I said where I worked. “You interview celebrities for a living?!” Yes, I did. And can I tell you the truth? They were boring. Yes, boring. I had much more fun interviewing homeless men for my senior journalism thesis. I had much more fun tutoring kids who had a parent in prison through FreeArts. Let’s also talk about the time I spent as a breakdancer – great experiences. Interviewing celebrities – I thought I’d love it. Yeah…not so much.

So, this year, for the second time, I applied to NYC Teaching Fellows. I had been accepted right out of college, but I chose the path of least resistance before – the celebrity journalism thing. And when I applied again this time, I was sure I wanted to teach. There is nothing better than the feeling of pride and excitement that you get when a student learns something and their brain clicks the box that says “I can.” Every time I’ve ever taught anyone anything, I remember that feeling and tears well up in my eyes. I can’t wait to teach!

My mom and my aunt are teachers. My grandmother was a preschool teacher. I have caught the family bug, and I am sure now that it is what I need to be doing. So, I’m calling this blog the Diary of a Third Generation Teacher. Come on board and read my ramblings. I have a lot to say, a lot of worries, a lot of anticipation. This blog will probably be very emotional. I hope you don’t mind. I’m going to be spending this year learning, learning, learning and teaching, teaching, teaching. I pray that I get it right and become an excellent teacher. But…what if I just suck?