Dear Prospective Teacher,
Whether you are currently studying to be a teacher or you are in in high school with the intentions of being an education major, I am sure you can relate to many of my experiences. When I told people that I wanted to be a teacher, they were not very supportive. When I told them I was going to be an English teacher, they were even more unsupportive. Everyone had an opinion: family, friends, peers, and even people I did not know. If I told someone my major, they would shake their head at me; no one ever hesitated to voice their opinion. People made me feel like I was making the wrong decision, and they made me doubt my aspiration. At one point, I even considered studying engineering just to appease everyone. You have probably done the same. People love to criticize teachers and prospective teachers.
When I think of all of the negative reactions I received, I think about the four most common comments people had. They told me:
“There’s no money in teaching.”
“You won’t get a job.”
“You are wasting your potential.”
“Teaching isn’t what it used to be.”
These comments really got to me. At times, I was so hurt that someone would criticize my career plans that I did not know how to respond. I would defend the profession to the best of my ability, but I always felt like people were not listening to my argument. Instead of letting them get to me, I have decided that nothing they have said matters. I have always wanted to be a teacher, and I am not going to change who I am for anyone else.
To all of these negative comments, I finally present an answer.
I am not in it for the money. I am not expecting to be a millionaire. While a teacher may not make the same amount of money as a CEO, he or she will still make decent money. The reward I am looking for is not financial. I want to be a teacher because I want to be the person my teachers were for me. Teachers help shape the future, and I want to be a part of that amazing process. Passion, not money should be the reason a person chooses a career.
I will get a job. Jobs are hard to come by in every field, but for some reason, people always pick on teachers in particular. In school, I try my absolute hardest to not only get good grades but also to be as involved as possible. I try to be the best me I can be, and I am confident that a job is in my future. Getting a job is hard work, but it is definitely a task worth working for. People retire, people go on maternity leave, and new positions open up. It is up to me to make a great impression and be the best candidate I can be to get a job.
I am not wasting my potential. People always told me that I am too smart to be a teacher. They told me I should become a doctor or an engineer to best use my abilities. To me, this statement could not be more offensive. Teachers are very intelligent people. In order to have successful doctors and engineers, we need educators who know what they are doing. How can I be “too smart” to be a teacher? If I am going to teach the children of the future, shouldn’t I be equipped to do so?
I know teaching isn’t what it used to be. I understand that things have changed. We now have the common core, standardized tests, and more regulations every year. However, I have never taught before. I have not experienced what it “used to be.” As a millennial, I have experienced this shift in education. I have taken all of New Jersey’s standardized tests, and I have witnessed teachers having to adhere to very strict regulations. I am not going into this field clueless. I wish people would stop telling me what teaching “used to be” and, instead, prepare me to be a part of what it is now.
These are my answers, but I want you to come up with answers of your own. Think about the negativity you have received and confront it. Never let someone criticize your profession. Be ready to talk about why you want to be a teacher.
Here at TCNJ, our School of Education is incredible. Many districts across New Jersey will not hire teachers who are not TCNJ graduates. I have never been more excited to be a teacher. Most importantly, I have never met people with such a passion for teaching. To us, money is not an object. Jobs are in our futures. We are using our full potential, and we are ready to be teachers in the present day. We cannot let a few negative comments let us forget this.
Sincerely,
A Prospective Middle School English Teacher (whether people like it or not)
