I am happy to be graduating this May and it has been a very long path to get to where I am at. English is a strong passion of mine but I have to confess that it is not my first love!..My dream is to be a dental hygienist
but hopefully I can achieve that goal too! In any career path it is natural to have concerns or hopes for the future. Unlike any other career, teaching is a profession that is not only rewarding on the job but off the job as well. I sometimes find myself talking to my loved ones and wondering if teaching may have its flaws? Now don't get me wrong there are flaws in any job, but the thought of having the lives of 40+ students in your hands can be a bit daunting. I have not only those concerns but many others such as if i will be too strict or maybe not strict enough for the kids. Another fear I have pertains to the students who might be having more problems at home than at school. I like to say that God will help me through these challenges but it is always in the back of mind if my students will reach their fullest potential possible. If so, will i help them to reach their ultimate goals whatever that may be?Aside from all the fears is the glimmer of hope that teaching will be the most amazing experience of my life and the possibility of transforming a students opinion about English is very exciting and overwhelming. It is easy to discuss all the positive factors about teaching but like with all things, one must consider both sides of the argument. I hope that this insight will provide you with an idea of some of my fears, concerns, and hopes for teaching.
Tiffany, reading your blog made me realize that maybe I’m not the only one with the fear of making sure that their students can succeed. Just the thought of being in a classroom with so many students is daunting, but the thought of making sure that they succeed is even more daunting. When I was young I admit that I thought that teaching looked so easy. I thought it simply consisted of getting up in front of the room, reading from a book, and perhaps doing some sort of activity. I also assumed that, like their students, a teacher’s day was over at 3pm. Oh how young and naïve I was…
ReplyDeleteThe reality is that papers don’t correct themselves and that lesson plans don’t magically appear out of thin air. A teacher needs a lot of time outside of school in order to prepare lessons that will benefit their students. Hopefully, if a teacher is dedicated enough, they can create lessons that will engage their students. Even though it’s not possible to create a lesson that every single student will love, it should try be memorable. After all, I’m not a math person at all, but I had a geometry teacher that I will never forget. She let us create our own geometry based board games, and had us play them in class. She would also give us other projects, such as crafts, related to geometry. Suddenly even the biggest math haters (including myself) found ourselves looking forward to her class. So even though its been eleven years since I had that class, I still think about it to this day.
So if you believe in yourself and in your ability to present the subject to your students, I think you can create a classroom environment that is positive. Who knows? You may end up helping some of your students realize that literature has so much to offer. As for those who may not exactly be in love with literature, you could help them realize that literature is so much more than just “reading boring stories”.
Hi Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteNow hopefully this one actually posts or else I'm just going to give up on this thing. I'll try to summarize what I had originally wrote about your blog last week:
Basically, I thought that you express a lot of the same fears I have about the teaching profession. Not only do I have anxieties about speaking to and interacting to the point of positive influence with kids, but I also have insecurities over how effective I'll be or how well I'll be as an educator. Teaching is partly inherent and partly hard work and effort. I think I might have the hard work and effort down, but the intrinsic aspect (or the "calling") is what I'm not sure I have just yet. Don't get me wrong, I am interested in teaching, but teachers need a lot of patience and a lot of great communication skills. Sacrifices are a necessity, and the ability to compromise, an advantage. I'm up for the challenges, but I'm also terrified of the outcomes that may come: failure. However, I think that the only way for me to get peace of mind is to actually go through the experience of teaching and seeing for myself whether or not the profession is for me. That way, if it doesn't work out, at least I'll know. And if it does, then GREAT!
Your ambition to be a dental hygienist is good too. I think you should see through it also because like the process of elimination, you'll never know unless you try. Give it a go and maybe it's for you. I mean, if you have a passion for it, you have every right to explore it. Good luck with whatever path you decide. I look forward to reading more of your blogs girl! :]
Hello again Tiffany. It's nice to have another class with you! I am on the same train with you, in being scared about not helping the students succeed. I think that teachers expect to get so much out of their job and to have such a great impact on their students that they fail to realize that if we influence only one student in our whole career, then we have done our job. Of course, we should strive to have a good impact on as many students as we can, however we shouldn't stress the unknown.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I want to comment on what you said about teachers having 40+ students in their hands. This is both an overwhelming thing and a beautiful thing. It raises the question, how many of these students will actually appreciate learning English, and how many will fall through the cracks. On the other hand, it brings up the point that with these 40+ students all things are possible. There is no limit in education, we can act, we can create, we can explore!
Best wishes with this class and in all that you do!
Hi Tiffany! I loved reading your blog. So interesting to see that you have dreams to be a dental hygienist. Good luck to you! I like what you said about children who have problems at home. Unfortunately, this is something all of us will face, and it is not something we can avoid. What keeps me optimistic is knowing that we can be adults that they can trust and confide in, which a lot of children today lack. I hope that we can be role models to these kids who are struggling. We can provide them with the outlet they need, the ability to express how they feel without being afraid of repercussions. Growing up, writing was a way for me to let out all the things that were bothering me.
ReplyDeleteWith our profession, I feel that we do more then teach. In a lot of ways were like a therapist to our students. I know that may seem intimidating, but I think that when the time comes, we will find a way to help the students who are suffering.
I too share in your fears. A child's dangerous home life is difficult to handle. How dos one foster the positive attributes of a student while negativity is so prevalent in their life. I hope someone is able to help us with this question.
ReplyDeleteAs for the first question, about being an influence on the lives of so many young ones, the only thing I can is don't mess up. But no pressure. But seriously, if you find yourself unable to do accomplish this, then apply yourself to dental hygene. If I'm not fit to be an educator, than it's not with it to subjugate students to it.
It’s always easier to look at the bad side of things; such as the problems that we might have with teaching. The first thing that comes to our mind is what if they don’t like me? What if I’m a bad teacher? Or what if I can’t help them? All I have to say is that I’m sure you know your not alone. We all feel the same way, at least I know I do. It’s not easy to stand in front of 30+ pairs of eyes and wonder if we are doing a good job, but there is one way to find out, all we have to do is trust our students and know that they will tell us the truth. One of my old high school teachers always says that the best way is to communicate with the students. We need to know what they need and want and at the end make sure that we do the best that we possible can.
ReplyDeletehi tiffany! :)
ReplyDeleteam i allowed to leave you a comment, even though i'm not in your class?! hope it's ok!
i love your writing style! very easy to follow!
i love this part of the last paragraph: "teaching will be the most amazing experience of my life"
my feelings exactly! :)