Blog Post # 12

Are You Sure That You Want to Be A Teacher?

I think teaching is a very important job. Not everyone should be a teacher. To be an effective teacher, you must have a strong desire to inspire. I know several people who have studied to be a teacher and then gave up teaching after a year or two. I also know several teachers who are not really happy with their job. However, I also know several teachers who love their job.

I believe all education students should make sure that they really want to be a teacher. They should understand all the challenges that they will face as a teacher. Such as, lack of resources, funding issues, discipline issues, support from parents, and students that do not want to learn.

I think that Dr.Strange should create a blog post assignment requiring each education student to interview a teacher that they really like. The interview should consist of the following questions.

1. They should ask the teachers about any question or concerns that they have about becoming a teacher.

2. They should ask what led them to be a teacher.

3. They should ask what do they like about being a teacher.

4. They should ask what do they not like about being a teacher.

5. They should ask what are the requirements to be a teacher.

6. Then give a summary of the interview and your feelings about what you have learned.

Interview with Tara DuBose

Today I met with Ms Tara DuBose, she is an elementary school teacher at St.Elmo Elementary. She was my son's first grade teacher. My wife and I developed a good relationship with Ms. DuBose and we both think that she is a great teacher. We discussed her career as a school teacher. I asked her the following questions;

1. What led you to become a school teacher?

Her answer was I decided to become a teacher for several reasons, I love children and education is a top priority of mine. I also want to take a personal interest in students to enhance their chances for success. I understand that family sometimes affects a child's performance, so I often assist parents areas of need. I am truly interested in the whole child. Their physical, mental and emotional needs. I want my students to know that I have their best interest at heart and I will always be there for them. It lets me know in uncertain terms that I belong to them and that my job is to be there for them.

2. What do you like about this job?

Her answer was,of course you know it's the children. I love watching helping and developing the growth of children. I like seeing the look in the children eyes when they understand what they're doing. Teaching children how to read especially phonics, phoneme awareness, fluency, and comprehensions and vocabulary, in math I love watching my babies add and subtract and use logic reasoning in problem solving. It's wonderful when I know I had a helping hand developing the minds that shape our country.

3. What do you not like about this job?

Her answer was I don't like the politics and bureaucracy that come with the job. I would like the decision makers to ask the teachers their opinions when it comes to things that affects us. Also, over the years the amount of paper work has increased tremendously which makes it next to impossible to do our job effectively.

4. What kind of work experience do I need?

Her answer was, you need to be well organized and the experience will come over time. However, patience is important when it comes to children. You also need great classroom management.

5. What is the salary range? Her answer was it is low and it varies depending on how many degrees that you have earned.

I really enjoyed the talk with Ms. Dubose. I think teaching would be a rewarding career. Not rewarding in terms of a salary. Rewarding in terms of making a difference in a child's life.