What Kind of Teacher Do I Want to Be?

Having been around the block a few times (and, having meandered off the path a time or two) I'm sadly aware of how quickly one's illusions can shatter when dreams morph into reality (in this case, the dream being an alternative setting high school English teacher / tripped out Teen Librarian, the reality, American educational system entrenchment).  That said, while some may call me a cynic (and, yes, I most certainly am) I am likewise an idealist in equal measure.  So, it was with a uniquely absurd combined mixture that I recently dove into "The Freedome Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them" by acclaimed educator Erin Gruwell and her team of teen Freedom Writers as a motivational means to kick off my own return to school.  Perhaps I feared that it would prove too perfect, and thus, a bit too far from reality despire being true.  As luck should have it, it was perfect -- the perfect inspiration for this future alternative education high school English teacher, and courtesy of my librarian geek research inclinations, I learned even more, that there's a special place devoted to people just like me...
http://www.freedomwritersfoundation.org/site/c.kqIXL2PFJtH/b.5183373/k.DD8B/FWF_Home.htm

So, what kind of teacher do I want to be?  Obvious answer, a good one, but the meaning of good is, of course, subject to interpreation, as well as malleable in that my own definition will no doubt expand and grow once I get my student teacher feet wet and continue to gain experience.  At the moment, however, the below list offers a rough outline (in no paticular order, but simply as they pop to mind) of the kind of teacher I want to be as I walk into the classroom...

• One who embraces individuality, appreciates invidivual learning styles, nurtures natural empathy, and serves as a positive role model for advocacy and indepedence.
• Instills in students a sincere understanding that education is key to empowerment
• Learns from students as much as I teach them -- and isn't too vain to show it
• Engages the mind, rewards creativity, and isn't afraid to think outside the box
• Takes the road less traveled and invites students along for the ride
• Fuels imagination via books and fosters an appreciation for the power of words
• Grants students the benefit of the doubt and is willing to try, try again...
• Is adolscent savvy / open to teen culture, interests, & multimedia communnications
• Takes a team approach to teaching & buildss a strong professional support network
• Utilizes the rich world of culural ideologies while likewise recognizing the limits of my scope
• Strives to meet teen where they're at, sans judgement, but maintains a 0 tolerance fo bullying
• Reminds students that it's not merely ok to dream, but instead, absolutely right to do so
• Creates useful tools for students (with their input) for both the right now and the future
• Celebrates invidual as well as collective success and practices what she preaches
• Is knowledgeable, ethicial, open to change, fully engaged, & not ashamed to be proven wrong
• Seeks out continued learning opportunities & demonstrate the value of lifelong learning
• Reaches the so-called "unreachables" and makes a REAL difference, even if only once
• Refuses to become jaded when faced with adversity--and lives with the passion I aim to share