Today my friend asked me why I like to teach. I had nothing to say. And that bothered me. As I drove home, I wondered why I couldn't answer his question. Was it really because I was so tired that my brain couldn't form a complete thought? Was it because I seriously had no answer to that question? Or was it because teaching has become so much a part of me, so second nature and ingrained in me, that the question was just too overwhelming?
Well, here it is:
I like the excitement and possibility that fills the halls every single August, no matter how much I have dreaded going back to work. I like the smell of new school supplies and the beauty of a clean whiteboard. I like the first day of school when the students come in with fear, wonder, anticipation, and dread as I explain what the year is going to be like, knowing myself that it never turns out as I plan. I like the second day of school when I actually get to begin learning about the students and what they know...or don't know. Those first few days are so quiet.
I like that day around the second or third week of school when the students start to let themselves shine through. Their fear is gone, and they start letting me see their personalities. I like hearing them laugh. I like watching them focus on an assignment and hearing them ask questions. I like...no love...hearing them explaining concepts to each other or helping each other diagram a sentence or figure out the best way to write a thesis statement. I like watching their eyes widen when they finally understand something and then the grin that follows. I like that I have the power to help them to become better communicators and to allow them opportunities to feel successful and smart.
I like that the students have so much faith in me. I like that they believe that I know what I'm talking about and rarely doubt it. I even like that they do sometimes doubt it and feel comfortable enough to question it. Of course, I also like proving them wrong when they do. :) I like that many of my students feel comfortable coming to me with their problems and that they trust me enough to tell me things they wouldn't tell other teachers. I like the fact that they take so much interest in my life even though they, of course, occasionally don't know where the line is and cross it. I like that I rarely have to wonder what they are thinking or feeling because they are so transparent.
I like teaching because it gives me the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of teenagers who are in the middle of creating themselves. I like looking at their faces and realizing that all of their most important decisions are ahead of them, and I may actually get to play some small role in helping them to make the right ones. I like the fact that I am giving them tools they need to reach their dreams, whether they realize it or not. I like knowing that I could be teaching a future writer, teacher, doctor, lawyer, accountant, politician, or housewife...and that person could possibly one day look back and realize that I somehow helped them to become who they are...in some small way.
I like teaching because it's what I do. I like teaching because it's part of who I am. I like teaching because....well, I just do.
copied from my private blog....written on May 31, 2010
I miss PC...We don't have enough shining stars where I teach. On move up day when I was going over orientation stuff with the students I had in 8th grade, one literally jumped for joy when she saw me standing outside the door. Another, who is a C student, expressed his happiness about the possibility of me being their teacher. When I asked him why, he said simply, "Because you're the only teacher I actually learned something from..."
ReplyDeleteBad grammar, but the thought really sank in; I need to move up with them. 8th grade isn't for me.