Yours truly talking to students at NCSU about the Montagnard people, who were the subject of my first feature-length film, Abandoned Allies.
Once upon a time I dreamed of becoming a teacher.
My mother was an art teacher. She taught my older sister when she was in middle school. Then mom taught me when I was in 4th and 5th grade.
There were some fun benefits to having the teacher double as your mother.
We got to school really early. That was tough when the alarm went off, but kind of awesome once we got to school. I got to help set up the classroom by taking the chairs off tables, putting out art supplies, and whatever else my mom deemed necessary for that day’s lesson.
Mom and I stayed after school, too. That’s when I would put all of the chairs on the tables, sweep the floor, and wash the chalk board. It was oddly satisfying to wipe away the chalk dust.
There were times where I would make believe — in my mother’s empty classroom — that I taught the best lessons to my imaginary students. I had the best and the brightest students. They always did well in class. I was also super smart because I had answer keys to every test I gave my students. The classroom was my kingdom!
My father was also a teacher.
His first gig was at a school in Belhaven, N.C., right after he married my mom. Dad went on to get Ph.D., and became a professor at a university. He specialized in maritime history.
Although I never sat in on my dad’s classes, I did get to travel with him. He’s an underwater archaeologist who regularly took a group of dive students to Bermuda during the summer. Every now and then, throughout my childhood, I got to tag along.
Dad would hold class at the helm of the boat while going to a wreck site. He taught underwater while diving the wreckage, too. Pretty cool, huh?
It was a lot of fun to watch my parents teach.
I watched them share their knowledge and expertise, care for their students, and help them along their journey. I saw, first-hand, the impact they had on the lives of their students. Both of my parents were well-loved teachers.
To this day, I still hear great stories about my teacher-parents.
It’s no wonder why I used to dream of becoming a teacher. I was surrounded by it, as the daughter of two people who taught throughout their careers. I had grand visions of being an art teacher or college professor one day.
When I confessed such dreams as a child, my loving parents tried steering me in other directions. They knew how tough teaching can be with policies, politics, and minutia. They told me it wouldn’t pay well, either.
Teaching is no walk in the park. It can be hard, thankless work.
I dream of teaching people, especially filmmakers. I feel like I could their lives easier. What I’ve learned (the hard way) might make a huge difference in the lives of those story tellers.
That’s why I’m working on something new and exciting. It’s not finished yet. But you can add your name to the email list here, and get more info as soon as it’s ready for prime time.
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