Sunday, July 31, 2011

To Sir, (or Ma'am) With Love...

I've been thinking about school quite a bit lately...

Well, truthfully, I don't know that I ever really stop thinking about it completely, even during summer...

But, lately education has been in the news, and not always in a positive way. In addition, I've been catching up on the blogs of some of my friends who also happen to be educators, and it got me pondering...

What is a teacher?

 A degree? A certificate? Passing a test?

The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines a teacher as "one whose occupation is to instruct," but is that really all?

I think being a teacher encompasses much, much more...
 -  the countless hours spent in preparation for a new year, a fresh group of students
 - the laughter
 - the tears
 - the worry and frustration
 - the personal money invested without much hope of compensation
 - the joy of seeing the moment when it just "clicks" with a student
 - the pain of seeing a bright future dimmed or lost through poor choices
 - the second (and third, and fourth) jobs  - just so you can remain in the field you have chosen

This is my list... and it could probably go on... but I'd like to hear what you think being a teacher means, so please add your thoughts below...

And before you go, take a little inspiration that what you do really DOES matter...

(Remember the starfish story.... we may not be able to save every one, but we can make a difference...)



4 comments:

  1. We do the starfish story every Friday with our grade 7s.

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  2. I'm new at this whole teaching thing, but I'm learning that it means endless patience. Oh man. Does every class have a devil child?

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  3. The funny thing is, I thought about my own teaching when I saw this episode of Glee a while ago...

    It hit me pretty hard. Isn't this one of the reasons why we teach? To try to help those starfish?

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  4. I agree... teaching is so much more than "just" instructing. I like your list and would also add that it's about endless opportunities to encourage and pass on hope to others.

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