I Want a Chance

I feel I have been honest in sharing that education has not been my first choice of degree and I have not been very excited about making it a career. However, in the last three years, I have experienced a drastic change of heart to the point that I experience sadness at the thought of not being allowed a chance to be in a classroom and work with students. I get excited about spending time in a classroom, guiding my students on the journey of personal effort and creativity. (I, however, do not get excited about standards and curriculum maps and never ending assessment.) I want my class to be one of the hardest my students will ever encounter, but only because I expected more out of them than anybody they have ever had in their lives previously- I want my students to experience a culture of expectation. I give my students every tool I possess (and I still have so long to go as a teacher) and every tool I can find, so that they can be as effectively equipped as possible to complete whatever dream they may choose to pursue. Those who do not have high expectations will never achieve greatness. I know that not every student of mine will be an A student, but I also believe that plenty of less-than-A-or-B students are more than capable of above average marks.

I could write an entire post of my personal theory of education, especially that of English education, but I will tell you that I believe a lot of today's education needs to be about the "how" of something instead of that "what." Reading and writing are the basis for all of life's disciplines, whether or not one chooses to pursue formal higher education. With that being said, teachers receive a lot of flak for being nothing more than glorified babysitters who are given three months' vacation every summer. I stand to argue that nothing could be farther from the truth. I know that my choice to become a teacher will be one of the most challenging, difficult, and- at times- possibly abusive situations in which I could ever place myself, but I know the potential rewards will far outweigh anything that could ever come to me otherwise.

Teaching cannot, will not, and should not be about myself. It is about the students, no, the children who will be looking for love, guidance, and acceptance in life. For some, they will only be able to make it through my class because they know I care. For others, they will be able to take the material I present and just run because they have, outside of the classroom, the support system necessary. Nevertheless, my role as a teacher is vital to the success of society and I am now taking that more seriously. I am beginning to grasp the potential influence that students may experience in my classroom. I am beginning to understand the magnitude of the burden God has bestowed upon me.

(Disclaimer: This video contains some crude language but it is nothing outside of what my students, and many members of society, see on a daily basis. It portrays how life exists for many people. Life is what it is, and this shows the truth in a way I would not normally envision it.)

(via)