Why is it that people decide to teach?
Is it the prospect of working with kids in general? Of teaching them new things, and learning new things in return? Is it simply for the paycheck, and the 10 week vacation time? Or is it to be the teacher you never had--to help kids through what could possibly be the hardest time of their lives? The reasons are endless. The more important question at hand is whether these motivations for teaching are for good or bad reasons.
According to the WorksheetLibrary (http://www.worksheetlibrary.com/teachingtips/becomingelementary.html), there are ten reasons why a person should choose to be a teacher. They are all very positive reasons that range from having a broad appreciation of the subject matter, to being a creative and a good communicator, to simply enjoying the company of children. There is no doubt that these are all great reasons to go into the field, but Canestrari proposes that there are people who do go into teaching for the wrong reasons within his book, Education Foundations. He proposes that if one had a negative experience in school, they might subconsciously use teaching as a way to "get back at" the offense made to them so long ago. For instance, if boys were particularly nasty to them, one might treat the girls more fairly, or if one has a prejudiced opinion of some sort, that the teacher must be sure that this prejudice does not follow the individual into the classroom. He states that an aspiring teacher may try to redo their mistakes through the kids-- which of course is impossible.
After reading several articles on the matter, it is clear to me that teaching certainly is still a wonderful profession, but that one should be careful to evaluate themselves and make sure that they are deciding to go into the field of education for the right reasons. I originally was trying to decide whether to specialize in elementary education or middle school education. I had a fantastic time in elementary school, and aspired to be the same type of teacher that I had in elementary school. But at the same time, I had a horrendous time in middle school, and felt like I might have wanted to teach that age group to show those kids what I felt like I never had at their age, and to make sure that they didn't make the same mistakes that I did. I feel like I made the right decision deciding to specialize in elementary education because I have so many reasons for loving children at that age, but my one reason for wanting to teach kids in middle school was for a more negative reason that had much more to do with myself than the actual kids. Whether choosing to teach simply for the love of the children, or any other reasons one may possess, it is extremely important to thoroughly examine these reasons and make sure that you are choosing the profession for the right ones. You must be able to understand the students, and be patient and able to adapt your teaching style to suit their needs. Make it about the students, and not just about you.
Is it the prospect of working with kids in general? Of teaching them new things, and learning new things in return? Is it simply for the paycheck, and the 10 week vacation time? Or is it to be the teacher you never had--to help kids through what could possibly be the hardest time of their lives? The reasons are endless. The more important question at hand is whether these motivations for teaching are for good or bad reasons.
According to the WorksheetLibrary (http://www.worksheetlibrary.com/teachingtips/becomingelementary.html), there are ten reasons why a person should choose to be a teacher. They are all very positive reasons that range from having a broad appreciation of the subject matter, to being a creative and a good communicator, to simply enjoying the company of children. There is no doubt that these are all great reasons to go into the field, but Canestrari proposes that there are people who do go into teaching for the wrong reasons within his book, Education Foundations. He proposes that if one had a negative experience in school, they might subconsciously use teaching as a way to "get back at" the offense made to them so long ago. For instance, if boys were particularly nasty to them, one might treat the girls more fairly, or if one has a prejudiced opinion of some sort, that the teacher must be sure that this prejudice does not follow the individual into the classroom. He states that an aspiring teacher may try to redo their mistakes through the kids-- which of course is impossible.
After reading several articles on the matter, it is clear to me that teaching certainly is still a wonderful profession, but that one should be careful to evaluate themselves and make sure that they are deciding to go into the field of education for the right reasons. I originally was trying to decide whether to specialize in elementary education or middle school education. I had a fantastic time in elementary school, and aspired to be the same type of teacher that I had in elementary school. But at the same time, I had a horrendous time in middle school, and felt like I might have wanted to teach that age group to show those kids what I felt like I never had at their age, and to make sure that they didn't make the same mistakes that I did. I feel like I made the right decision deciding to specialize in elementary education because I have so many reasons for loving children at that age, but my one reason for wanting to teach kids in middle school was for a more negative reason that had much more to do with myself than the actual kids. Whether choosing to teach simply for the love of the children, or any other reasons one may possess, it is extremely important to thoroughly examine these reasons and make sure that you are choosing the profession for the right ones. You must be able to understand the students, and be patient and able to adapt your teaching style to suit their needs. Make it about the students, and not just about you.
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