I was not a good child. Growing up, I had trouble being what my teachers wanted me to be. None of them believed in me, none of them wanted me to succeed. That is my first picture. None of my pre-high school teachers taught from the heart. They did not like me as a person, so they just gave up on me. As a teacher, you can never give up on a child. You may just be there last hope. My parents believed in me, and never gave up on me. I was lucky that I had them, some kids that have that blessing. We new wave of teachers must teach from the heart. We cannot let our likes and dislikes, our biases, ever touch the children we teach. We must be better than this world. We must inspire.Children are the future. They must be raised to not only
love the world and all on it, but to question everything as well. Sometimes, parents are not enough. Sometimes teachers have to step in. There is nothing more important than a child, and all steps must be made to raise these children into good adults.
"Education never ends. It is a series of lessons, with the greatest for the last.” This is a revelation that came to me not too long before I decided to go into teaching. I believe that to be teaching correctly, you will be learning along side your students. There is always something you can teach your students, but there will always be something that your students can teach you.
I have to say our experience pre-high school is pretty similar. I was a "problem" child that was singled out by the teachers many times for reasons I will never know. They hated who I was when all I was, was a child. My parents pushed me to do great in school, and they were the only ones to do so until high school. My teachers in elementary and middle school wanted nothing to do with me. They didn't care about me at all, even as a quiet secluded student. I went through middle school almost mute because of the way the students and teachers would treat me. The children around me were terrible and the teachers were no help. Often times they blamed me for being bullied and not the bullies themselves. It wasn't until high school that I had teachers that actually cared about my well being in the school, and it wasn't until my jr year of high school that I was really able to come out of my shell and feel confident enough in my mind to speak freely for pretty much the first time in 5 years. I didn't feel like I was being protected at all in school until that late into my education, and that is why I want to teach calculus and AP statistics, as it is meant for students around the age that I finally started opening up in and I hope to help people that had the same experience.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing. As we discuss in abstract terms how to reach the students that other teachers and the system might have given up on, it’s valuable to hear from someone who has lived the other side of it. You say that your pre-high school teachers didn’t teach from the heart, which I hope means that your high school teachers did. If you’re comfortable sharing, was there one specific teacher that made you feel more valued, and what did they do?
ReplyDeleteI like how you emphasize the importance of the relationship between students and teachers. Many of us are lucky to have loving parents and supportive teachers. However, parents aren't always there for their children and you're correct in pointing out that teachers may be the only one there to support their students. I also like how you discuss education as a mutually beneficial relationship between teachers and students. We often have this perception how teachers are supposed to educate the students, yet teachers also learn from the students too.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your sharing. Students usually can be affected by their teachers and parents, they could affect their value to the world, to the society and to themselves even when students grow up they would remember something that they experienced during the childhood. So, being a good teacher and good parent is really important. And I like your words-"There is always something you can teach your students, but there will always be something that your students can teach you. " As time goes by there be lots of things that I need to face and deal with, and I can be upset sometimes, however students usually full of energy especially primary school students, they could become happy easily even when they cry. They can be friends again even they fight with each other. It is really amazing for we adults. I think this kind of ability is what we adults really need to learn. Thank you for your sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Patryk! How true that the students end up teaching more than you could imagine. I worked as a counselor at a summer camp for kids this past year and as much as I tried to teach them, they often taught me more. However, that is one of the most wonderful facts about education. Thanks for your contribution!
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