Recently,
I had the opportunity to teach in my placement classroom while my students had
a substitute teacher. It was a great experience to teach on my own. The students were engaged with the lesson, they asked questions, and most of them got their work completely done. I didn't have to give out any detentions; it was a great class period. I was feeling pretty good!
However, this particular substitute teacher had taught on her own
for two years and decided it wasn't for her. We talked a little between
classes, which is when I expressed my excitement about teaching and having my
own classroom. She responded with a resounding, "You're going to be
miserable!" She explained all of the hard work it takes, and how the first
year of teaching is pretty awful. At first, I was offended. I am well versed in
how to take on hard work and I am a firm believer that I can do whatever I set
my mind to. It's hard to admit, but I was also a little frightened until I remembered all the support I have from my family, friends, colleagues, and mentors. I replayed the conversation in my mind throughout the day and as I
did, I realized that her exclamation was not so much about me, about my abilities
to teach, or about my work ethic. As I continued to think back on this conversation, I
realized that this woman was simply telling me what many others had told me in
the past.
There are many people out there who
do not understand why I want to be a teacher, let alone why I would want to
teach middle schoolers. When I tell people I want to teach middle school, I
often get a wrinkled nose, a shudder, or a comment like, “Well, someone has to
do it.” I try to explain that middle schoolers are so cool. They are funny, honest, and for the most part, willing to
learn. I am continually amazed by my students, even the “tough” ones. These
students are the reason that I keep going back after a particularly rough day;
when the storms--figuratively and literally (we all know students get
squirrely when the weather changes)—create chaos and havoc in the classroom.
As I reflect on why I want to teach
middle school, I’ve realized that it is not my job to defend why I want to
teach or why I want to teach middle schoolers. My job is to actually teach them
to the best of my ability. There will always be people who don’t understand why
I want to do this, just like I don’t understand why someone would want to be an
engineer or a mathematician. And while I no longer feel the need to defend my
choice, I do feel the need to try to help others understand better. So, the
next time someone wrinkles their nose or asks why in the world I would want to
teach middle schoolers, I’m going to try to explain: just like they are
passionate about their work, I’m passionate about mine.
This was an empowering read. I'll admit, I am sometimes guilty of being "that person" more or less jokingly,but I get the same looks when I talk about teaching at the high school level. You are absolutely right, it isn't about what other people think, its is about what we think and what we are passionate about but more importantly, it is't about us. It's about our students and if you grounded in who you are and what you are passionate about, that will show in your teaching and your students will take notice.
ReplyDeleteIt will be tough, especially in the first few years but it will also be rewarding. This is your passion. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.