The first two
weeks of EDU100 have focused on thinking about why we want to teach, what
skills and knowledge we bring to a classroom, what experiences (or lack of
experiences) may impact how we teach, the challenges we will face and the
assumptions we make about students in our classrooms.
The more I think
about teaching and read about the experience of teachers in the United States,
the more I realize that my reasons for teaching need to be intrinsic. As
we read in our textbook, this job doesn’t garner the level of respect that other
professions are endowed with and the income is respectable, but we will never
get rich. We can earn the respect of both parents and
administrators by acting and dressing professionally and continually improving
our knowledge base and teaching skills through lifelong learning endeavors.
I think the reason people choose to teach despite all of it’s challenges
is best reflected by the quote posted by Tessa in her blog, Why Teach?: “I stay because what I've learned in 29
years is that I do have a "real" job -- the most real job there is.
It's the one that leads to other jobs, that helps to create good thinkers who
go on to be productive in our society, and that supports our community as it
grows and times change. My job is one of the ones that matters most.” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/babs-nichols/why-i-stay-in-teaching_b_4675031.html/
) Teaching is a calling, a passion, for
me it is something I almost feel guilty getting paid to do. For all we
give up by becoming teachers we receive two important gifts: a job we love and
the chance to make a difference!
As I was
researching education in America I found the infographic posted on this blog
examining the relationship between spending on education and results achieved
by students in twelve countries.
(http://www.edudemic.com/how-12-countries-spend-education-money-and-if-it-makes-a-difference/)
The statistics are disconcerting. We spend the most money annually
per child on education but produce the third and fourth worst results in math
and science respectively out of the twelve countries studied. We spend a
lot of time talking about the importance of STEM education and fighting for
increases in spending on education, but this article makes me wonder if we need
to throw more money at the problem or if we need to look more closely at how we
are spending the money we have. What are countries like Finland doing
differently to produce higher performing students at a lower cost? Do you think
more money will improve student achievement? If your school got
additional funding how do you think it would best be spent? Are schools
lacking in science, math, gifted and talented or special education
programs? I think our answers are often biased by the needs of people in
our family and circle of friends. Should we spend more money on these subjects
and narrow pools of students or focus on engaging students in a way that
encourages curiosity and a desire to continue learning outside the classroom?
Class time is limited and students need to become self-directed in their
learning. I wonder what would make the biggest difference. I think
our generation of teachers has an obligation to respond to studies like this
one with a desire to learn more about what other countries are doing and why it
works. We should be willing to implement strategies that work no matter
where they originate. True professionals in any field are always looking
for ways to improve. I hope we go out into classrooms and do more than
teach, I hope we are innovators who make education in America something we can
all be proud of!
America is a melting
pot. One of my biggest concerns as an educator is avoiding the trap of
conceding to labels given to a child and to make sure I am always trying to
understand where a child is coming from culturally, economically, and
emotionally. I think we need to truly know our students and try to
understand our students as whole people who have lives, stresses, traditions,
interests and obligations outside of our classroom. We can better serve
students when we understand what motivates them and the obstacles to success
they face outside our classroom. I am sure I will often refer to the Never
Judge a Child poster I found on Pinterest. (http://www.pinterest.com/pin/104708760057108304/)
It is a reminder
to always approach students with empathy, asking questions rather than making
assumptions and trying to understand the why of problem behaviors instead of
punishing. All people want to be successful. Students don’t wake up
planning to fail or misbehave in our classrooms. They want to excel and
graduate. Let’s try to always see the good in our students even when they
can’t.
This module has
given me an opportunity to acknowledge the challenges and rewards of teaching
and further cemented my decision to become a teacher.
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