Well, I am finally finishing up my education degree. I am on the last leg of it which is student teaching. I was fortunate enough to be placed in the same school district as my girl, which means we have spring break together! I am loving my mentor teachers and the school itself. The students are diverse and amazing - the majority of them are motivated learners and seem interested in school. I feel so comfortable in this school because I share the same philosophies about teaching with my mentor teachers, and that stems from having a life long mentor, my mom. She was an amazing educator. She was one of the best, and I am fortunate to have her as a support system not only emotionally, but professionally.
The teachers in my district don't just teach subject matter, they keep up on current educational philosophies to help them teach subjects effectively. I laugh at some people who comment that teaching is easy. They clearly have no idea what teaching is all about, well, I guess good teaching. I know some people just do their time, and I find that is the way it is in all professions...people are people no matter where you go. What makes the difference in teaching is that good teachers care about getting kids to learn and read, read, read up on how to do it in the best way possible. Teaching isn't about just going in and giving tests, it is about making connections, helping kids feel safe to take risks with their learning, helping kids become good citizens of their community, helping kids become responsible for their own learning, and helping kids be successful in school and take that into their lives beyond school.
Teaching isn't easy. Imagine a group of students who all learn in different ways, are on different levels of learning, some may be on the autism spectrum, some have behavior issues, and some just merely aren't interested in school - they all need to pass the same test. You don't have time to sit with them one on one each day. How do you do it? That is why my education degree, all my observation, and all my hours of field experience and student teaching are important - I am learning how to be an effective teacher. Classroom management, teaching subject matter from an educational text, teaching kids how to read for content, teaching kids how to write, teaching kids how to think creatively and outside of the box, getting kids to pass their tests! That isn't even half of it. I am reflecting on all of this stuff because I am passionate about my career choice. Thanks to my old job for the business counseling that made me realize this was my passion. Going into teaching was not a decision made lightly. I thought for many months and years about it. Now, I am almost finished.
Now, I am crossing my fingers I will get a job during these tough economic times. Plus, my previous mentor teacher said that that there's an average of 300 people applying for any one teaching job. I'll be lucky to get an interview!! ack.
