"We're all doubling majoring in Elementary Education and Learning and Behavioral Disorders," I say, a wide smile on my face, as I'm proud to tell you that our table is working towards completing our education degree. Yet the face of disapproval is our award.
I'm flabbergasted.
"There are two types of people and professions that I hate," you quickly respond, and the table holds our breath; knowing what words you're about to say next. "Teachers and doctors, I don't know, it's just something about the snobby attitude and know it all remarks of teachers that I hate. They are always so rude and ignorant," you ramble on, but the table is silent. The table full of education majors, that is. All of us freshman, all of us having never once met you or spoken a word to you, and now all of us are perfectly content with keeping it that way. We all come from various backgrounds and part of the state, all of us wanting to teach differing grade levels and SPED classes; and all of us proud to be where we are and majoring in what we love.
It was this interaction that sparked conversation among us, as we shifted into discussing what people have told us face-to-face what it is that they thought of our major and our career/life path. It was a discussion that left me with chills, and many of us angry beyond what we already were. These are simply the underrated opinions of future educators.
One of the most profound experiences I've ever had, was being asked why I wanted to become a teacher. I'd never be able to afford to support my family or give them the life that they deserve. It crushed my soul because it came from someone who means so much to me, and it was so sudden that my dream career and perception of it was forever altered. Responding confidently, I said, "that's not why people do it. We don't become teachers for the pay, we do it because we want to positively impact children's lives; we want to help them grow and be someone to look up to. We want to make a difference." The person in return had no comment.
Marissa, a fellow elementary education major recalled a time when someone asked her what grade she wanted to teach. She replied, "Kindergarten." They said back to her, "bless your heart, I would never be a teacher. They get no respect and make no money." Once again, money came up, but what hurt most was saying that teachers get no respect.
We see it everyday. We see it when we interact with students who are Pre-Med or students who are doing something highly technical and skilled, we see it in the small numbers that reside in our classroom of students working toward our degree. Yet we don't let it bother us. Instead we create a family, built up within our major; knowing all of the others by name.
Emily, who sat directly beside me remembered once when a family member told her, "oh, you don't want to be a teacher." And that came from a family member, someone who should be supportive of you in every way yet was so quick to tear her down; where does the stigma around teaching end?
Cassie, another girl at my table that I share almost every class with, said a family member refused to continue paying for her college education once she found out that she was going to be an education major. The family member had said to her, "it's a worthless profession, made for people who don't want to work hard." It was that comment that stirred the pot even more, because teachers are some of the most hard working people we've ever known. They work from the early hours of the morning to late at night (grading papers, often coaching sports teams, etc.), on weekends, and even over the summer (contrary to popular belief, teachers do not get the summers off). In addition to this, the state of Kentucky requires all teachers to begin their Master's Degree within five years of completing their Bachelor's Degrees; they have ten years to complete that once they start; but we have to start within the first five years. That takes dedication and a love for the job, and skill as many often manage to teach and obtain their Master's at the same time. Never tell us that teachers don't work hard, because that is far from reality.
Penny*, a friend of one of the girls at the table, is also an education major was once told that, "being a teacher is the stupidest profession, we don't need teachers. We might as well become strippers because that's the only way we can afford to pay off our student loans." We were all silent, we couldn't even form responses to that comment.
Teaching is a profession that takes time and patience, it takes love and compassion, and it takes excitement for accomplishment. We aren't worried about the paychecks we bring home (although we won't complain if they get increased), and we aren't worried about your opinion of them - we only care about what we can provide to the generations to come.
*= names have been changed.
