Graduation is getting closer and closer. And of course, I have began to wish my life away. Since the 200 day mark, I've taken a few minutes out of each week to watch the seconds go down on this countdown as time and I slowly walk towards the rest of my life. So, I thought I'd just take a minute to appreciate what I have now and how I've gotten here. This is four years in the making, so we'll go back in time a bit and see what all has happened.
First of all, thank you.
To all my roommates over these four years: Thank you for late night conversations, for dealing with the chaotic mess that is my dwelling place, for my late night food runs. Thank you for being my home when my childhood home wasn't my home anymore.
To all the friends I've lost and the ones I still have: Thank you for being my family and for growing me into who I am today. Thank you for the gray areas that taught me how to think for myself. Thank you for showing me what it means to be a friend.
To all my mentors: Thank you for taking the time to inspire me, to teach me, and to push me. There are so many of you who took the time out to give me wise advice and to challenge me to think in new ways. Thank you for inspiring me to be a mentor to someone else one day.
To my "guardian angels": There are many people at this beautiful university who have entered my life briefly as a huge blessing. Thank you to the blond haired girl who saw me walking on crutches attempting to carry a backpack and food to my dorm in the rain and stopped to help me carry my things. Thank you to the numerous people I talked to about God my freshman and sophomore years who helped me build my relationship with Him. Thank you to the people who pulled out of their close parking spot just when I needed it in order to be on time to class. Sometimes, we just have bad days and its the little things that make it all worth it.
Second of all, I should appreciate where I am now.
Student teaching is by far the hardest thing I've ever woken up every day and done. It is a learning experience that has changed and is changing me for the better. I am learning everyday, and these next 59 days will lead me to learn even more.
So, if you're like me and you couldn't wait to be 15 to get a permit, 16 to drive a car, 18 to go to college, 21 to buy a drink, etc, let's just take a minute to breathe and not miss those years we always want to skip. If we skipped them what would we have to tell our grandkids? 5 million seconds doesn't seem like that many if they are all worthwhile.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Friday, January 29, 2016
No More Justifying
The inner workings of a college senior student teacher's mind:
Ugh. Is that my alarm? Already? Okay..... (untangles sheets from self, fumbles out of bed)
I'll just make myself some coffee and check Facebook. (puts last K-cup in the Keurig, mutters silently to self about how I'll have to buy more)
....checks Facebook....
Scrolling...scrolling...An article about teaching? Sounds interesting (Opens article)
Oh..."Why I'm Not a Teacher for the Pay" (Reads half of article, sighs, closes article)
This process occurs several times almost every day for me, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. When you're almost a licensed teacher or on your merry way to being one in a few years, it's all you can do to get through a social media check without coming upon yet another article about one of the following topics:
Why Teaching is A Fulfilling Career
Why Teachers Don't Become Teachers Because of the Pay
Why Teachers Are in Fact Worth Something to Society
I'm done with it. Frankly, I'm tired of seeing and reading these articles. They aren't okay for 2 reasons.
One: We as teachers should not have to justify ourselves and our career to anyone. I'm not sure who exactly these articles are addressing; it could be a fellow college student who made a degrading comment, another article on Facebook, or even a friend or family member. No matter who it is, it doesn't really matter. The worst thing we as teachers could do is fire back violently because it only proves that there was a reason for the comment to be said in the first place. Instead, let's disregard all comments that make us feel less fulfilled, less appreciated, or unworthy because they have no merit anyway. Anyone who has taught or had a teacher should know the tremendous amount of work it takes every day to ensure the growth of our students. If for some reason they don't know, then let's prove it to them through our unwavering hard work and compassion for our students instead of wasting time advertising how wounded we are.
Two: Teaching is not more important or more noble or more difficult than all other careers. Yes, it is a huge undertaking; trust me I know, but all careers in this world contribute to society in some shape or form and are therefore valuable. It was the superior mindset that one career is somehow above another that got us into this mess in the first place. Let's not reverse the pattern and hurt someone else.
Overall, I'm certainly not blameless when it comes to perpetuating this grossly inaccurate perception of educators. I've shared a fair amount of these articles and felt hurt by how others around me perceived the work of teachers. All I want is for us to see that we as teachers are valuable, intelligent, hard-working members of this world we live in. We shouldn't give a passing thought to anyone who insists otherwise.
Ugh. Is that my alarm? Already? Okay..... (untangles sheets from self, fumbles out of bed)
I'll just make myself some coffee and check Facebook. (puts last K-cup in the Keurig, mutters silently to self about how I'll have to buy more)
....checks Facebook....
Scrolling...scrolling...An article about teaching? Sounds interesting (Opens article)
Oh..."Why I'm Not a Teacher for the Pay" (Reads half of article, sighs, closes article)
This process occurs several times almost every day for me, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. When you're almost a licensed teacher or on your merry way to being one in a few years, it's all you can do to get through a social media check without coming upon yet another article about one of the following topics:
Why Teaching is A Fulfilling Career
Why Teachers Don't Become Teachers Because of the Pay
Why Teachers Are in Fact Worth Something to Society
I'm done with it. Frankly, I'm tired of seeing and reading these articles. They aren't okay for 2 reasons.
One: We as teachers should not have to justify ourselves and our career to anyone. I'm not sure who exactly these articles are addressing; it could be a fellow college student who made a degrading comment, another article on Facebook, or even a friend or family member. No matter who it is, it doesn't really matter. The worst thing we as teachers could do is fire back violently because it only proves that there was a reason for the comment to be said in the first place. Instead, let's disregard all comments that make us feel less fulfilled, less appreciated, or unworthy because they have no merit anyway. Anyone who has taught or had a teacher should know the tremendous amount of work it takes every day to ensure the growth of our students. If for some reason they don't know, then let's prove it to them through our unwavering hard work and compassion for our students instead of wasting time advertising how wounded we are.
Two: Teaching is not more important or more noble or more difficult than all other careers. Yes, it is a huge undertaking; trust me I know, but all careers in this world contribute to society in some shape or form and are therefore valuable. It was the superior mindset that one career is somehow above another that got us into this mess in the first place. Let's not reverse the pattern and hurt someone else.
Overall, I'm certainly not blameless when it comes to perpetuating this grossly inaccurate perception of educators. I've shared a fair amount of these articles and felt hurt by how others around me perceived the work of teachers. All I want is for us to see that we as teachers are valuable, intelligent, hard-working members of this world we live in. We shouldn't give a passing thought to anyone who insists otherwise.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)