As soon as I am asked what I would like to do as a career in the future, and I respond with my hopes of becoming a teacher, I am almost always given a judgmental or demeaning look, with personal remarks that I could “do better than being a teacher.” Future teachers of the world should never have to plead their case to those questioning their careers. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone can be a teacher, and more than that, the teaching profession is not doomed. I frequently ask myself what the world would be like if people who had a passion for children and education gave in to all of the negativity towards their career. All hope would be lost for the betterment of our futures. Education is a lifelong process, but formal schooling lasts at least thirteen years of almost every person’s life. These are the times when most people think back to memories of their childhood, times of happiness, strength, overcoming obstacles and learning life lessons. The times have changed in America, and education is becoming less and less valued, but the teaching profession is about so much more than just academic education. Coming from a long line of teachers, it was instilled in me from an early age that a teacher’s job is much more than standing in front of a classroom full of students. Teachers hold a much higher responsibility than many people realize. I personally feel that my future career goals will not be to just simply teach the students, but give them a passion for learning to push them to reach their full potential in life.
Way too often, people become teachers because “there is no other option." This is a terrible disservice to the community, but especially the students within this person’s classroom. If the teacher does not have enough pride in his or her profession to understand and comprehend the content they are responsible for teaching, they do not deserve to hold the title of an educator. The responsibility for teaching the curriculum should never fall solely to the students. While in college, it is greatly important for future teachers to take the curriculum being taught seriously, because it could have a large impact on their future classroom.
The truth is, every teacher or future teacher has complained about something within the profession at least once or twice in his or her life. The truth is, many things happen within a classroom that outsiders do not know about and cannot even begin to understand. The truth is, teachers truly are teaching the future. For many people, they consider a teacher’s job to be to solely for teaching academic basics, otherwise known as the formal curriculum. This is a major aspect of one’s job, but there are many factors that come into play with a classroom. A classroom is built around teamwork. The responsibilities cannot fall onto just the students or just the teacher. Without teamwork between a teacher and student, I believe the classroom would fail at achieving its overall goal. Personally, I think that the overall goal of a classroom should be to be a welcoming atmosphere where children can feel safe, enjoy the thrill of learning, and create stepping stones for the children to eventually become contributing members of society.
“Why become a teacher? Why waste your time trying to teach those who refuse to learn, or better yet are not capable of learning?” These are questions that cause my heart to sink. I want to yell back, “Why not become a teacher?” Teachers actually have the chance that so few people have. They have the opportunity to build and better the future population of the world. Yes, it will be difficult, but even more importantly than that, it will be worth it. All children have the capability to learn. The responsibility falls to the teacher to make that happen.
One of my favorite stories that my mother ever told me about her experience as a teacher changed my heart and my view on education forever. She told me of the time she had a 9-year-old student enter her classroom after having never been in school. She described him as eager to learn, but he also had difficulties. His eagerness and difficulties were described as rewarding and challenging at the same time. She said, “seeing the understanding dawn in a child’s eyes when they have finally learned to read is one of the most rewarding experiences ever." This is why I strive to become a teacher. I hope to one day provide children with a sense of accomplishment over tasks that once seemed impossible to them.
