Being a Tenacious Introvert

                                         My husband says I’m tenacious, in a good way.

Once I decide to do something, I see it through to the end. I think I had to be, growing up in Cicero, going to a big ten University, long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away. At that time, the boys were always favored. They had to succeed since they would be the bread-winners of the family. They needed to develop careers, make good money, and excel whenever they could.

At U of I,  each student had to see the counselor before starting classes. Here’s this young guy, just looking over my entrance exam test scores, which included personality tests, asking what I wanted to be. Of course, I’m there on a teacher’s scholarship and I wanted to be a teacher. No, no, no…..the ‘scores’ say I should work alone and be something like a ‘bookkeeper’. Horrors!! I insisted, so he said I’d have to change my personality, since I was obviously an introvert. So I got a job as a waitress on week-ends. That opened me up a lot!

Then there was the painting professor, who never showed us how to paint or any work that he had done, who took the brush out of my hand one day, dipped a 4″ brush in paint, and splattered my painting. The class went silent. He said I was working ‘too tight’, and walked away. I packed up, and returned the next day, determined to loosen up & use bigger brushes. At the end of the semester, he praised me for not giving up. Then he said, I should find some nice young man, settle down, and raise children. Sigh!

I went on to teach high school for 22 yrs, private classes out of my home, and at a craft center for another 9, while developing my own art along the way. I loved teaching. Not too long ago, researchers found that the majority of high school teachers are introverts! They can be their own boss. They have their own space, own room to work in. They do everything in their own, unique way. Excellent place for introverts to shine. It was for me! I found it all fun, interesting, and very cool in every way. I loved the students, even the angry ones, since I never took their stuff personally. These are the feelings I strive for today: to belong, to lead, to learn, to grow. I experience a deep satisfaction in being able and lucky enough to create and develop my art every day. I guess this is being tenacious at its very best!