Thursday, September 27, 2007
Monday Night Eye Opener
Monday night really opened my eyes when Ms. White said if you are not going into teaching for student learning then that person needs to get out and do something else (this might have been last class-I can't remember, but it was said nonetheless). I have already been questioning whether I really want to teach; if that is really what I love to do and want to do and I believe it is not. However, the knowledge I have gained from this class has been so enriching.
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11 comments:
I want to encourage EACH AND EVERY one of you to go into teaching if you LOVE children and want to help them LEARN at high levels. If you want to help them achieve at HIGH levels then PLEASE pursue a degre in education. If this isn't your passion then I applaud your reflection, soul searching and willingness to be honest with yourself to recognize that it may not be. Be true to yourself, your skills and abilities and find a profession you will enjoy. Most importantly respect the children of the future enough to make sure that they have children who love them deeply and care enough to give them teachers who are committed to helping them learn at high levels.
If you have recognized you do not want to teach this does not make you a "bad" person, it makes you an HONEST person who is willing to seek a different career for the benefit of children, your future family and yourself!
Mrs. White
i agree, and she said with real authority behind it. and she is right, if anyone is going into teaching other then to help children,teens,kids,etc. as their main objective then they need to rethink i believe too. i myself think about it at times if this is really what i want to do, for it is a big choice and it matters to you and the kids. but yea it caught my attention as well.
For me I feel that I was always going to be a teacher. I think I feel at my best when I am in a classroom helping someone. The reward for me is so great, but it is different for everyone. I think for me the scariest part about declaring a profession is that I am 19 years old and I am planning out the rest of my life, so I at times ask myself is this really what I want to do for the rest of my life.. and my answer is yes. I can't imagine myself being happier anywhere else. While yes commiting to it is scary I hope that I can make a difference some where in someones life. And if you are concerned if it is the job for you its ok to find out now, because atleast then you could find a job you are truely happy with....
I agree Sarah, it is hard to know yourself well enough to say without a doubt that you will be happy in a certain profession for the next 40 years or so.
I also agree with Rebecca when she said that she finds the class very enriching. I never thought about the importance of knowing language development for a regular ed teacher. Previously, I considered these aspects of communication more important for speech path's to know.
I want to encourage ALL of you to ENJOY each day of NOW and college. Pursue your INTERESTS, your PASSIONS and prepare for what you love to do. I have worked in so many areas of education as well as other areas outside of the field. I have taught elementary and middle school. I have taught special education/deaf education and regular education students. I have worked in the classroom and at central office as a support - as a technology resource teacher. I worked with technology but only in the capacity that it supported learning - not using technology just for the sake of how much technology could we put in a classroom or have kids use. But, let's face it - it's FUN to use computers, digital cameras, build web pages, create digital stories, make movies, chat with people across the world, etc - - all INSIDE THE CURRICULUM to accelerate student learning!! I have gone on to coach teachers and administrators. I am now working as a consultant and supporting those coaches in those schools. And guess what . . . I LOVE that. But, my FAVORITE part of the week...is coming to EKU to see YOU. I love to come and teach YOU. I leave each week wondering what did YOU LEARN????????? How can I teach that better next week? How can I motivate you to be more engaged in the content throughout the week so you'll be more equipped to participate in the learning activities during our time together.
My point is this...yes...think about what is ahead. But, know your choices will lead to other choices which can lead to other choices. Build your foundations STRONG. You will then be able to create an incredible career of making a differences in the lives of people where ever you go no matter the paths you choose.
Mrs. White
Rebecca you hae received wonderful guidance in these comments. I just want to add that the field of education can be the ost rewarding career choice. But you must step into this job realizing that the choices you make as techer affect the future. IF that doesn't scare you nothing will. But that is where the rewards come from. When you are open to the challenge of discovering the gifts of children, then you can be a tacher who opens doors for thes gifts to become pathways to great futures. THink back to your favorite teacher.
You have a great resource in Mrs. White if you are still unsure of a career as a teacher.
I agree that one should not go into teaching unless they want to help children learn to the fullest and enjoy all aspects of children. I am not an education major, I am taking this class as an elective towards my degree in psychology. I have a passion for children though, my focus is child psychology and I do teach two year olds in a learning center. This has been an eye opener week for me. I live in Winchester KY and work at the learning facility that closed their doors Tuesday, because They did not complying with the water company demand of turning in all documents required to begin a project of connecting their plumming into the city sewage. The water company turned the water off Monday night after all children were gone to the buisness. Being out of work for four days has made me realize what teaching really meant to me. I am not just a child care provider to the ten children I had on a daily basis. This class and the curriculum that the facility I work at has made me realize the teaching impact I am on those children. I have spent this weekend researching what it would take to become a licened certified child care provider within my home inorder to give birth to preschool age children an education though their normal developemental stages. The curriculum the facility I work at uses is the creative curriculum. Well, hopefully they will get the water turned back on tomorrow and I can go back to work were I was completely happy at.
This semester I have actually done alot of soul searching and did decide that education wasn't the best thing for me. I do have a passion for children, but I was never positive about my major (this will be the 4th time I have switched my major...). With this class I have learned so much about so many different things. I'm glad that I'm still taking this class and didn't drop it. I can also see the passion for education in so many people in the class and I think you guys will be amazing educators in the future.
I am one of those people who always wanted something else. Teaching was not even an option to me until my senior year of high school. Then I was a peer tutor and it changed my life. There is nothing else I could imagine doing for my career. When you realize that calling it makes all the hard work and sacrifices worth it. Being a teacher in itself is a honor but being a special education teacher has to be the most rewarding jobs on the planet.
It's wonderful to find your passion or to recognized that you may not be in the right field. It really is wonderful either way. I have all the passion in the world to see students achieve at such high levels, and I KNOW I want to teach. I want to help them. I want to be a part of their success and achievement, because we all know they can't do it alone.
HOWEVER...my discouragement has been that I feel so behind myself in school (college especially) and I fear that I will not be the successful teacher that I dream of being. I have high hopes and expectations for myself, but when I receive a test on which I did not do as well as I'd like, or when I feel myself pulling my way thru B's and C's, I get scared. I struggle, and I have to find a way to overcome the grief and disappointment with myself in order to be the best possible teacher I can be someday. And that's just another goal on my list of things to accomplish...
Just thought I'd share.
-Alisa-
I never thought I'd want to be a teacher. I started my college career as a psychology major with a plan. I knew I wanted to work with children as a child psychologist, so I did my co-op in an FMD room in Madison County. That's when I changed my mind about everything. I|First off, I reasearched things and found it is often extremely difficult to find a job with a BA in psychology. I realized I loved to be in the classroom and started loving the idea of teaching. I chnaged my major that semester and every since, I have known teaching is where I want to start my career. I plan to get my masters in counseling; that way I can eventually persue that as well. Teaching is only for certain people; unfortunately, some teachers do it for other reasons and the kids are at a disadvantage and never get what they should get out of the year. It is good that you realized teaching is not for you now. That will really help some kids in the future.
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