Chapter 1: Becoming a Teacher

Joyful

• Teaching is being placed first over more traditional professions such as doctors, nurses, and lawyers

The fact that teaching is finally being recognized as a profession makes wanting to become a teacher more realistic and worthwhile.  Teachers work just as hard as any other professionals do to ensure that they are doing their job and they deserve the same recognition as every other profession.

• “Parents believe that teachers make a difference in their children’s lives, especially when it comes to learning” (9)

Parents are perhaps the most influential people in a child’s life and they contribute to developing their child’s attitude toward school.  If parents believe in teachers, then they can bring their children to believe in teachers and motivate them to value their learning.

• “One of the most joyful aspects of teaching is to see students achieve at high levels” (8)

Seeing students learn and improve is the most rewarding part of working with students and is one of the main reasons I want to teach.  I enjoy seeing students prosper and look forward to seeing many more students excel in their learning.

Not So Joyful

• “Most teachers have limited access to an office, telephone, computer, and a secretary” (10)

The lack of support, funds, and other necessities that teachers deal with on a regular basis frustrates me.  Teachers are expected to do so much for their students, yet they are given none of the essentials that they need to do so.  We cannot expect teachers to do all of these things when we do not give them what they need to do it.

• “Teachers between 22 and 28 years old earned an average $7,894 less in 1998 than other college-educated adults of the same age” (17)

Although most teachers do not join the profession because of the salary, it is still disheartening to know that they are not valued like other professionals.  Education is fortunate to have teachers willing to work for much less than they are worth, and without these teachers, there would be no one to teach our children.

• The various tests that must be taken and passed in order to become a highly qualified teacher

The number of tests and requirements that those becoming teachers and new teachers must pass is overwhelming and even scary.  I do not like how different the states are with these tests either; they vary so much from one state to another that moving to a different state to teach could cost your entire college education and any teaching experience you have just because the two states do not align.