Being an education major is no easy task. We are constantly being knocked down by hearing people say that our "classes are not hard" or "if you're not good at anything, just be a teacher."
Every day someone tells us as if we don't already know, that we won't make any money. We should consider going into business or become a doctor or a lawyer…something that actually makes money.
People ask us why we want to work with kids or give us that snide look that pretty much just says "yikes!" These people that act like teachers are an insignificant profession seem to forget how they got where they are.
I am so happy you're becoming a doctor. Seriously, that's so awesome. But just answer one little question…who taught you literally everything you know leading up to this point?
I don't think some hot shot making a six-digit salary was in your elementary school, middle school, or high school. They weren't the ones who gave you that high school diploma that helped you get into college or med school.
Trust me, all of us future teachers truly and completely understand that we will not make money. We do not need to hear it from you. If we are this far along with our degree, it is not a shock that our starting salary might be 3 times less than yours.
We've accepted that and we've embraced that. If someone is going into education, I can promise you it is not for the money. We want to make a difference in the lives of our future generations.
We want to be the ones to build their foundation for learning or be that stepping stone to their diploma. We want to be the ones to see a child's face light up when they finally learn to read or finally understand how to multiply.
There is nothing more exciting to a teacher than seeing their kids grow and progress. It tells us that we really did make a difference and we helped them get to where they are now.
The classes future educators take are not easy. We do not sit in class and color all day as some people speculate. We do not just read picture books for fun and because we can.
Everything we do in class is so intentional and has a purpose that most people do not even think of. We have to write an analysis paper after analysis paper.
We have to plan huge lessons and units and state our rationale for every move we make. We can't just plan for an average third-grade class. We have to find ways to differentiate everything to meet the needs of every student, whether they are at a lower level or they are gifted.
If we mess something up, we might ruin a student's life or make them hate school. A lot of pressure rides on our back from the students, parents, other teachers, our principal, and the whole community.
We work day in and day out just to help a group of 30 students learn, so we clearly are not working towards the money. We actually spend our own out-of-pocket money to help these kids even more. So the next time some snide comment about how teachers make no money or how a teacher's job is easy is about to leave your mouth, maybe just save it and say "thank you" instead.
