This past week in my professional development class for educators, my teacher asked us one simple question: "Who wants to be the best teacher ever?" Of course everyone in classed raised their hands because we are all in the same boat. No one would ever want to be just an average teacher and teach just to get the paycheck. Then my teacher started to bring up his past teaching history and, boy, did that hit home. I have such a tender heart and some of these stories brought tears to my eyes.
He began to tell us that the only way you can impact someone is to find a place where you are needed. If teaching is something you want to do, of course, you should go where there is an open position. What we are looking for is that job at that one school that no one wants. The school that has the highest crime rate, discipline issues, drop outs, and the kids that have horrible home lives. Yes, I know that sounds kind of extreme, but just hear me out; I was thinking the same thing, sitting in my chair in class. My teacher began to tell us that he has seen it all and he has the stories to back it up. The stories would bring chills down your spine. Senseless acts that a middle school child would do makes you question, "Am I really wanting to invest 32 years of my life to this?" My answer is YES!
My teacher told us is that once you start helping the community, you become one of them and they have your back. The things that parents and grandparents have done for him are incredible. The respect he got for educating those kids in his classroom is something that I want to feel one day. He has touched countless lives, simply through being there for that scared little boy whose parents do not come home, leaving him alone. I want the children in my class to feel hope and know that they can achieve anything they set their minds to.
Make an impact. This will be my motto when I start my job search, once I graduate. Where do they need me the most? Yes, it is ideal for people to want to teach at a school that has all the new, up-to-date technology, but honestly, can you make an impact trying to beat out the money and the things that are given to that kind of school? Before we ever had that talk in my class, that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to teach at a school that was successful in all things, but that is taking the easy way out. I want to change lives and be that teacher that kids come back to see. I feel like every kid who goes through school should have at least one teacher like that. I was blessed to have two such teachers.
When I have people ask me what my major is I tell them proudly, "Secondary education with a focus in biology." I get one of two responses: "Oh bless your heart," or, "That is awesome! I know you will be a great teacher." My heart finds joy in both answers. You would think I would be offended by the first answer, but I am not. Those very people are the reason I want to be successful at my job. I found a quote one time that states, "A hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove... but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child." As one of my favorite teachers once said, "It is the hidden butterflies in life we search for." I cannot wait to be that hidden butterfly in one of my future students' life.
