Thursday, January 27, 2011

Additional Thoughts: Who I am and what I am to do.

     There was no school today, so I'll just share some more thoughts I've had.
     Think back to the best teacher you've ever had. I hope everyone has had at least one teacher that really helped them. Now think back to the worst. I'm sure everyone has had at least one teacher that just... did not help, in any way. I can certainly think of a few teachers that I just hated being around. I can also think of a few teachers whose class I looked forward to all day. Of course, every student is different and has different needs. While I always appreciated the kind teachers that would seldom discipline students, maybe other students would take advantage of that. In other words, where as I benefited from one style, others benefited less.
     Another thought I've been having is how much I empathize with the students. That's probably a really good quality, like how when they're bored, I can really feel their boredom. However, I've been thinking that maybe I am identifying with the students more so than the teacher. Like, here I am, back in 5th grade. I'm some kind of boy genius or something but I'm a 5th grader. "Awe maaaaan we have to learn about some guy who crated yahoo!?0 This sucks I want to go play xbawks." Or something like that. What I'm saying is I'm not thinking of myself as a teacher. I don't know, maybe I'm just making stuff up. I'm just trying to decide the kind of teacher I should be. Or maybe, the kind of teacher I can be.
     I don't know about other peoples, but I went into teaching because I wanted to make a difference. There's easier and better paying jobs out there (apparently) that I could have gone for, but I wanted something that could make me feel self-actualized. Anyways, just for the record, I am not nor have I ever been deterred from this job despite many warnings of the difficulty, hardships, politics, and other miscellaneous quips concerning the profession.

9 comments:

  1. My GT teacher was exactly like you. She could have a rocket scientist or President of the united states. Got a 36 on the ACT. 4.0 GPA all through high school. Valedictorian. However, she ended up teaching other GT kids like her. She's the most influential teacher I've ever had. I know this doesn't mean much but the amount of change you are going to have in the kid's life is enormous. Good luck on your career man. Always following - juicebox


    juicebox.blogspot.com

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  2. very interesting read. i've always wondered what's the view of a teacher on his class. I always classify teachers to two categories - those who care and those who don't. however, i feel like the profession of a teacher has to be lead by heart, by the will to teach.

    great post, keep up

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  3. I would have loved to have you as a teacher.

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  4. If you can sympathize with your students so easily, you could become the kind of teacher who knows exactly how to help each student, right?

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  5. I'm glad you're teaching to make a difference. If only there were more teachers like you. Well I guess you wouldn't stick out as much if everyone taught like you. Glad to see that you care though. Following :)

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  6. Empathy is an amazing quality for a teacher to have. Continued luck to you!
    Following

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  7. that's great to hear, i wish more teachers were like you

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  8. Yeah I agree empathy is good, but I think a challenge arises. How do you learn to be continually empathetic and not burned out? Its a thin line isn't it?

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  9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1s4fj-5zlk

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