Feel free to skim or ignore....

A little background on some of my teaching career.(this came out much longer than originally anticipated. Feel free to skim, or ignore.)

I started fresh out of college in the mental health game. Although I was not certified exactly for this, my education background was said to be on par with preparations for working in a children's home. I worked outpatient with students who had a HUGE variety of problems, depending on the day, class, social events, family crisis, etc. While fulfilling my duties in that capacity, I had the opportunity to observe many teachers, principals, assistant principals, police officers, probation officers, judges, counselors, psychologists and doctors of all sorts. I watched what they did, what worked on a given occasion and built many of my ideas about how I would handle situations on these. I saw that the most important factor in determining the outcome of a situation was the "authority figure". I watched many escalation spirals, some diffused by an bit of humor, negotiation or creative thinking, some sent "through the roof" by inflexibility, ego and a lack of understanding.
I was welcomed by many and refused entry into classrooms by others. Traveling through just about every district within 45 miles of where I'm currently employed allowed me to see that the functioning of a given school was very much a result of the administration's relationship and support of their teachers. A supported group of trusted employees tends to work much better than those who are always concerned with who might be looking over their shoulder, waiting for any little error so punishment can be imposed. I could go on for a LONG time on this subject.
I found the place I wanted to work by looking at this administration issue. I found that one district above all others was extremely supportive, rational and encouraging to its educators, so when an opening came up I jumped at it. It was part time working in an alternative education program. I was pulled in due to my relationship developed through my previously mentioned job, which I had to keep. Working two jobs(frequently working roughly 70 hrs/week) with this end of the student population was rough at first, but with the help of those around me, became overall pleasant. OK there were the times when we had to use the police department, or probation officers for assistance, a few loosened lug nuts, some flattened tires, some wonderful barrages of profanity(students not staff :)) etc, but most of the students responded to a well run program with fair-minded helpful staff who had clear expectations, rewards and consequences.
This was a tremendous learning experience! I had over 7 years of experience with some of the "worst" students within a 45 mile radius before I had my own classroom! The transition to "regular" ed. was pretty smooth, but I missed something and have ever since: The feeling of truly making a difference to a small group of young minds. It's much harder to develop the relationships I used to have, when dealing with so many students. Yes there are instances where I feel it still happens, but when our AE program shut its doors, I missed it very much.
Even with the tough parts of AE still in my mind, I have been asked to help set up a new program and teach at least part time in the evenings. I'm looking forward to using technology to help distinguish this AE program from some of the dumping grounds I'd seen in other districts while furthering the technology use in my "regular" ed. room. Both programs are in need of curricular and coordination. Hopefully, this class will be a good starting point for both. I'm in for a long haul of curriculum work, and would like to be successful the first time!
I will not go on further, but the stories are many, the lessons are still with me and the experiences are what make me the teacher I am.
Take a minute to look at your past, how you got where you are, where you are going and the people who've affected you and your teaching style. Sometimes it's quite amazing!
Good luck!!