On Teaching

Michelle says:

Once upon a time it was a source of pride to be a teacher. Although monetary wealth would never be found, it was a career that was respected. Somehow, along the way, teaching seems to have lost respect in the mindset of the American public. On a regular basis, public education takes a beating in the news . Teachers that have had inappopriate relationships with their students, falling test scores and the level of education in the United States versus other countries is constantly being scrutinized. Home schooling, charter schools, private schools and religious schools are an alternative that many parents take, if possible, to avoid the "pitfalls" of a public education.

I have been a teacher for over fifteen years and I am proud of the work I do, the students I teach and the faculty that I work with. If I need to reaccess my work, if it has been ineffective, or I need to make changes to a course, I am open and willing to do so. Most teachers I know are the same. To add, most teachers I know work summers too. I am not saying that there are some people who go into teaching for the wrong reasons. There are those type of people; I had a student teacher who had the nerve to tell me she hated children, but wanted an "easy" job. She was borderline insane to one, tell me that and two, to believe that teaching was an "easy" job. (The time I spent with her is a story for another time.)

I went into teaching because I love people/children, I am a fierce child advocate, I love literature/poetry and enjoy the feeling of contributing something positive to my little corner of the world. I am not without my own concerns. I have grave doubts about "No Child Left Behind" and "Zero Tolerance" policies. I am aware of, and find it unacceptable, that there are grave disparities in the quality of educaton some children receive and the supplies/opportunities that many children do not have exposure to. But I am not willing to throw the baby out with the bathwater. In my opinion, the good still outweighs the bad.

I am not an elitist. I believe in public education and surrounding children in an atmosphere that is a microcosm of the world. There is great "social value" to attending public school. Students learn to interact with a great variety of people and adults. I believe there is inherent value in this experience.

Public education may be imperfect, but so is the world that our children will have to mingle in eventually. I don't want to overprotect my children. I want them to be prepared, academically, but socially too, to enter the world. To me, this type of preparation is what will make our children successful, aware and caring citizens.

Added on January 26th - My phone rang at 6am. When I saw who was calling, I knew it was not going to be good. Tragedy, once again, visited my school. Another child is dead, one is critically injured and four are left to relive the moment over and over again. When I chose to become a teacher, I didn't think about how my students' lives would deeply affect mine. Today, I sit, with tears running down my face, for I know the loss, and pain, my community will feel. I feel it too. It is now 10 lives in 7 years.

Rima says:

There are many motives for choosing a career in teaching. Often, a person would clarify his/her reasons for wanting to teach stem from his/her own personal philosophy of education. People who are thinking of entering the teaching profession should ask themselves why they are making this choice.

They might assert that they love children, have a desire to impart knowledge, have interest in and excitement about teaching, and have a desire to perform a valuable service to society. Of course, there are other reasons such as job security and pension benefits.

In other words, teaching is art where you end up drawing lines here and there. What are these lines? They are my philosophies and knowledge in education! I've been teaching for three years. I learned a lot from my students how to manage the class, respond to their stories, and help them out in their learning abilities. I'm not a perfect teacher and not trying to be one because it is difficult. Yet, I'll try my best.

Now let's face it.. Once people become teachers, are they satisfied with their work? I mean there are different circumstances that occur around us. How long can we handle that? Like my mom is a chemistry teacher and she's been teaching for almost 32 years. She recalls different situations and students that she experienced. One thing I remember her saying, "I don't want to teach anymore. I am tired." However, in her words, I sense satisfaction. She even clarified that I should be honest and teach from my heart. Why?

There is satisfaction and it is considered to be one important reason for teachers' job where they often feel successful in advancing their students' learning and growth.

 I'd like you to imagine being in a class?How would it be? What would you like to teach? Where would you like to teach? What kind of students you like to have? What are your motives? And the questions go on and on and on.. :)