When society thinks about a teachers job, their initial thoughts are: "They just teach curriculum" or "You get summer off; lucky." What society does not see, is quite special. Teachers don't just teach a subject matter; we teach life skills, morals, right from wrong, leadership skills, patience, and so on. Teachers wear many hats when it comes to their students. We can be anything, on any given day: a janitor, nurse, mentor, parent, therapist, coach, comedian, mediator, detective, decorator, counselor, zoo keeper, event planner, motivator, drill sergeant, cheerleader, etc.
All of these hats cannot be taught through schooling, and your degree definitely can't help you prepare for this career path. Year one of teaching will teach you the most. You will learn to be patient (after yelling a few times). You will learn to give hugs when they are needed. You will learn to be patient (some days this means, no teaching will take place). You will learn to be whatever you need to be for your kiddos.
Quick story: I currently teach at a inner city school, in California, where the majority of students are black. The stereotype that my students have infuriates me. The public eye views them as "behind" when it comes to curriculum/grade level statistics. My students are viewed as unintelligent or aggressive due to their skin color. It breaks my heart that I will never be able to understand what that feels like, simply because I am white. I hear their conversations about what they experience as a black person in America, and how they crave to be viewed as a person rather than a color. I try my best to provide that feeling within my classroom. I do not teach black children; I teach intelligent, young minds. I get told (quite often) that I am incapable of teaching black children because I am white. My first thought is to react in anger, but instead I simply smile and ignore their ignorance. That mindset is skewed. The biggest challenge that I face in my career, is keeping my faith out of the classroom. Yes, there are ways to include it without being seen as "trying to force my beliefs on my kids." When these comments are made, I choose to ignore them for a few reasons: they haven't been in my classroom once, they do not know my heart, and they have not met my kids. Instead, I pray. Every morning I get to work around 7:00 a.m., make my coffee, and walk around the room in prayer. I touch each desk as I talk to The Lord. I ask Him to give me the ability to feed these kids knowledge, wisdom, and love. I selflessly ask Him to use me in this classroom for a greater good. It seems cliche, but on the days where I forget to pray, it is hectic. My students may not know God, but my God knows them.
In telling you that story, I hope to open your eyes the reality of a teachers job. Our job is not to just teach English, Math, or Science. It is to teach life, love, and patience. It is to guide our students down a successful path, not just academically, but in all aspects of life. Yes, we are underpaid and we do get summers off; that is NOT why we went into teaching as a career. We chose this career to serve, to hopefully make a difference in just one kids life.
A few non-academic tasks that I have completed for my students in just one school year:
1.) Sewing a sweatshirt pocket back on
2.) Listening to a break up story (or ten)
3.) Prayed with one that asked me to
4.) Calmed down a fight (or twelve)
5.) Paid for an AP Exam
6.) Given my lunch away a few times
7.) Celebrate birthdays with a cupcake and a cheerful song
8.) Give out change for a bus pass
9.) Dried up tears with the sleeve of my white button up
10.) Put band-aids on a few scrapes and bruises
11.) Taught one how to tie their shoes
12.) Walked around campus, just to talk during lunch
13.) Told a joke for the one that hasn't smiled all day
14.) Spent countless hours just listening and hoping that they ask for advice
15.) Hours after school with students who are eager to learn
The list could go on... teachers play many roles, but our favorite role is to love. For many of my students, I may be the only adult that greets them with a smile all day. I may be the one person that makes them feel important. I may be the only hug that they get in a month. I may be a motherly figure to few (I get called "mom" at least once a day). I may be the only person that prays for each and every one of them all year. BUT, it matters, Once society realizes that my students are stronger than others, the world will change. My students impress me every day with their intelligence and work ethic. Yes, they may fall short and mess up, but who doesn't? They are children and they need guidance.
THANK THE TEACHERS THAT YOU KNOW!
We work really hard for our students to create a better society.
