7/29/13

Chit Chat


One question I get asked all the time is "What made me decide to be a teacher?" I have always wanted to be a teacher. In the second grade I wrote my "What I Want to be When I Grow Up" paper on wanting to be a teacher and math has always been my favorite subject. I enjoy getting to help others understand things they are having difficulty with and I love watching people learn new things. It's just a perk that I am the one getting to teach them these new things. I also delight in watching my students problem solve their way through a difficult problem and seeing their triumph and satisfaction over mastering the skills and concepts.
One thing that gets to me though is that some people think teaching is an easy job- that anyone can do it and that the only reason anyone becomes a teacher is because they were not skilled enough to do anything else. I'm sure you've heard the saying that includes, "those who can't, teach." People who believe this do not understand what all a teacher has to do. On school days I am at work by 7:30 in the mornings and the final bell does not ring until 3:00.
During this time I work with anywhere from 16 to 25 kids at a time for a period of 50 minutes each. I am on my feet teaching, assisting, supporting my students as their mathematical knowledge grows. I work hard and I make my students work hard. I make them work from bell to bell. I make them think and problem solve. I make them explain how they arrived at their solutions and why they did what they did. I don't believe in giving my students free days or free time. I believe in giving them an education and the knowledge that will help them succeed in the future.
This does not include the time I spend planning and creating my activities. The time I spend grading papers with feedback and inputting grades into the system. This does not include the time I spend after school tutoring students and coaching activities. This does not include the time that I spend going to school activities to show my students support or the competitions that I take my teams too.
When I think back on my favorite teachers. They made me learn and they made me want to learn. They made me work hard and then they pushed me to work harder. I bet if you think about your favorite teachers, you will realize they were the same way. Right?

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6 comments:

  1. Really nice post! and the pics is delicious! :-)
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    http://breakfastwithpinkdiamonds.blogspot.com.es/

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  2. Being a teacher is not easy. My aunt was one on grade school level. My grandfather taught high school. My mom teaches college and graduate students. They all did work on the weekends and went that extra mile. I went into science and environmental policy to avoid all of that. LOL I ended up being a trainer! So I teach too! LOL SO good for you.
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

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  3. i loved learning as a kid and my fave teachers were definitely those who enjoyed to help their students leran. i lack patience so i know that i would be an awful teacher haha. so i really appreciate those who commit their lives to it!
    -- jackie @ jade and oak

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  4. we had a local TV commercial recently showing a mom getting her son ready for school, serving him breakfast, dropping him off to school, going to work (as a teacher!), teaching her classes, coaching a sport after school, making dinner, helping her son with homework, putting him to bed, grading papers, and finally getting herself to bed around 9pm.

    i love that commercial...it was touching, and as a parent, i can appreciate everything you guys do for our kids.

    rockoomph.blogspot.com
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