I think I've wanted to be a teacher from in the womb. Teaching is what I love to do and what makes me most happy, next to my husband and son. As a child I can remember playing pretend school in my room all the time. I even remember waking up in the summer and would begin playing school at 8:00 in the morning and play all the way to 3:00, as if it were my real job at 8 years old :).
The most challenging part of being a teacher today is how the idea of school has changed. It seems that the amount of disrespect children dish out is far more frequent as to when I was in school. There are things that are said and done by children today that never would have been said or done by a child when I was in school. It almost seems as if it is just accepted instead of an exception. I also feel the lack of family support makes my job difficult. It is less and less a shared relationship among parent/s and teacher.
The most rewarding part of my job is having the opportunity to make a difference in a child's life. I also enjoy the feeling of a child being a excited about learning. The children that educators deal with come from vast backgrounds and sometimes the only thing children now will always be constant in their lives is their teacher. I love that I can provide a sense of security in those children.
Ultimately, I love that I have a job that I truly enjoy doing day in and day out. With every bad day I know just around the corner will be a good day. I love that I can always get better in my practices and learn more every day. Children are my joy in life. Each and everyone is special in their own unique way.
I love that you are using your blog to tell us about yourself and why you enjoy teaching. Your frustrations are shared by many educators; lack of respect from students and support from home, discipline inconsistancies at the administration level, etc. I hope that you know you are not alone with these frustrations!
ReplyDeleteNow that you've identified some, umm...let's call them "challenges," I'd love to hear your suggestions to correct or at least alleviate those frustrations.
I hope this stimulates a productive dialogue between you, me as well as our colleagues. One of the things that frustrates me about education, at least here in Madison, is that I don't hear enough productive conversation working toward resolutions. Thank you for bringing the discussion to the table and I look forward to some much needed productive dialogue!
I think I always was destined to be a teacher as well. I played a lot of school and library as a child. Both my parents were teachers so it came somewhat naturally for me. I really appreciated what you said about education. The disrespect from children is the part I dislike too. I am amazed that parents and children talk the way they talk. I'm not sure when teachers began to be questioned about everything they did. When did we become not the experts at education? I hope this challenge doesn't frustrate you to the point that you choose a different career - we really need you at our school.
ReplyDeleteYour comment about there being less of a shared relationship/duty between home and school makes me ask why that is - because I agree. If economics, family outlooks/values, culture differences, and other variables come into play, how can we unify these two forces so that they can work together for students?
ReplyDeleteI can connect with your comment about children becoming excited about learning. It is so rewarding when we are a part in the process of a student`s steps towards independence, increasing self-esteem. It`s funny, but this is one of the main ``adrenaline rushes`` that I get nowadays! I just can`t tell the kids, as they might be tempted to become my puppeteers if they knew the power they had over me!