The Teaching Life, appearing in the NEA/OWL website, has elicited thoughtful comments from across the nation. Here are excerpts that will prompt even more thoughts. We welcome hearing from you and invite you to join in the discussion.
I agree that teaching is the hardest job. However, I also feel it is the most rewarding! I teach kindergarten in a half-day program. Over the past ten years, I have had class sizes that range from 18-26, without the assistance of a paraprofessional or parent volunteers. A challenge and HARD!
My teaching began as a journey -- ten short, fun-filled years of travel, experiences and learning all intertwined. There have been good and bad experiences from which I have learned -- mistakes I have regretted and triumphs I have celebrated. All these have changed me and the way I approach the precious time I have with these children.
I strongly believe that every moment of every day I spend with these children makes a difference and it's up to me to make it the best possible difference I can! I affect every child with each word, each look, each expression - and every single one should count.
College prepared me for the mechanics of teaching -- brain-based learning, lesson plans, assessment, report cards and even teacher evaluations. It did not prepare me for "true teaching". As a kindergarten teacher, I am a nurse, a counselor, a referee, a disciplinarian, peacekeeper, a house-keeper, a maid, a mom, a dad, a friend, and most importantly a constant in the life of a child. The latter of the two, that "non-teaching", carries with it the greatest reward! And without it, no amount of mechanical teaching will reach those children. If a child doesn't believe you care, he or she cannot and will not learn.
As I prepare to leave kindergarten and my travels take me on to the first grade, I look forward to making a turn in my journey of nurturing and educating young children. Although a change is always scary, these children make that journey well worth every step!
Barbara LaGore, MO
I agree 100%. Teaching is the hardest job. Not only is it tremendously demanding, but it is extremely important that we do our jobs very well because of the impact we have on kids. Only parenting is more difficult and has a greater influence on a child's future, and educators are being asked to take on more and more of the responsibilities that, in the past have been parents' responsibilities. For example, when I was a student in the early eighties, there was a big debate going on about whether teachers should explicitly teach values such as honesty, kindness, and work ethic, in other words, Character Ed. As a student at that time, I had to chuckle just a little, because, even as young as I was, I knew that we were being taught these vales every day by the examples our teachers set for us and by their expectations. Yet there were voices out in the public saying teachers should teach only the curriculum.
Today, the thinking has changed. There is no longer any debate and schools have incorporated Character Ed. as part of the curriculum. We are teaching kids how to be good friends, how to be punctual and even how to dress appropriately. In the past educators were not expected to explicitly teach these types of things. This was the parent's job and educators simply re-enforced the teachings in the school setting. Maturation and Sex Education are older examples of public education filling in for parents. Schools now feed children breakfast. I have seen a school that had a washer and dryer that was used to launder children's clothing and where personal hygiene had to be taught to children. It seems there are far too many parents willing to turn over their responsibilities for their children to educators. More and more, we get children in our classrooms whose basic need have not been met in the home and are, therefore, not ready to learn. The schools are still expected to teach these children. In my own school, we have counseling groups for kids suffering from a loss and needing help with anger management. Teaching would be much easier, but still very challenging, if every child came to school happy, healthy emotionally whole and excited about learning. This is not the case.
I think the most difficult thing about our jobs is that we care about the kids. It breaks our hearts when they are hurting. It frustrates us to no end when they reject or ignore what we have to offer them. We feel powerless when we watch them quit trying or when they choose self-destructive paths. We feel despair when, despite everything we try, we lose them. We still don't give up. We can't give up because we know how important each child is and what a big difference educating a child can make.
Linda Gallego, Utah
"I totally agree with you. Everybody expects more from teachers than they expect from themselves. This is my second year of teaching. I am teaching math to sixth graders in an inner city school. We don't have resources in our schools in the same county.
To make the story short, I am working in an isolated portable without a security guard and without a PA system. Sometimes when I have had an emergency situation that requires the principal's attention, I have had to take the whole class to the office. That is true and that is hard work. Only those who perform this work can understand it."
Regla Rivera, Florida
I worked in the business industry for over sixteen years before I pursued a career in education last year. The transition was much more than I had expected. The discipline issues and lack of motivation to learn was overwhelming. I had no idea what I was getting into. My family noticed an immediate change in me and it made me wonder if I had made the right decision.
With summer approaching, I decided that perhaps I would begin my search for a new job. With a couple of offers on the table, I was not sure I wanted to return to the dreadful 10-12 hours days with possible weekends away from my family. I had lived that life for over sixteen years.
As I reflected back on the first year, I started to realize that the students needed me. As I remember some of the faces when they finally got the answer right to a math problem that they had been struggling all year to understand....the special thanks from some of my student that enjoyed coming to my class every day....the boost of inspiration from some student who said I made them enjoy math...I couldn't go back...I couldn't give that up.
I tell my friends and family that this is the hardest job I have ever had. I have never given up on anything...and I can't give up on our children. They need to be around people who care about them. I have also come to realize that you can't save every child...but if I can save just one and make an impact on a couple... I have done my job.
Gail Harris
I am currently a third grade teacher in the Chicago Public Schools. Dorothy Rich wrote about it being hard to be a teacher. I agree with her wholeheartedly. As a teacher today, we wear many hats: teacher, social worker, mother/father, friend, and sympathizer. It seems as though we are expected to cover everything and still have students make the grade.
Teaching is rewarding, but if there is not parental involvement, there are small results. School is just not enough for learning. I wonder how children can grow up to be productive adults if everyone is not lending a hand to be involved in education. What happened to It Takes a Village?
Katrina Tell-Amos,IL
