Aside from a 4 year bachelors degree and a passion for a specific subject area…. a lot actually.
People get this weird look on their faces when you tell them that your goal in life is to be a teacher. They can’t help it that there is a social stigma around being in education, especially around being a teacher.
Think about it for a minute, how many people were truly supportive of your decision to be a teacher…… A few family members and maybe a few friends but overall the consensus is the same. “You know you’ll never make any money right”. “Well the saying goes, ‘those who can’t, teach'”. “I don’t think you’re gonna be able to deal with all those kids everyday”.
The slightly disapproving looks and sly comments about how you can do more with your life and how you could make more money doing other things. However, for me, those questions that I received from not only family members but also some of my closest friends, just fueled my decision to be a teacher.
To me, teaching is more than a four year degree. It is more than a job that I will get to do for the rest of my life.
For me, in order to be not just a good teacher, but an efficient and amazing teacher, it takes a few very simple things. It takes a love for my subject area, mathematics. A love for my middle school students, their well-being, and their thoughts and ideas. It takes a love for the kids that to don’t get to go home to a meal every day or don’t experience a supportive family like I have. But it’s also a love for the disadvantaged and advantaged students alike.
I think that all of these things are what it takes to be an amazing teacher and that if you have them, that’s great! However, if you have other things that you believe are needed to become a teacher that I didn’t mention, that’s awesome as well. But also long as you understand that it’s not just a job. It’s not just something that pays the bills and gets you through the day, but it’s something that you should love and care for deeply. It is a part of who you are. A part of your background and DNA. I think that if you really want to be a teacher, you need to have these qualities. It takes a lot to be a teacher. A lot of dedication and a lot of patience, so so so much patience…
And with a little luck and a lot of trying, we could all be the best teachers we can be.
I did not set out to be a teacher. I had some really lofty goals. And in that era, being a female, they were lofty indeed! But, I found out I was good at it, and I loved it! As I always told my students, “Find something you love to do and then find somebody that will pay you to do it!” Wouldn’t it be horrible if you had to get up every morning and have to go to a job that you hated, no matter the pay?
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A willingness to grow, evolve, master the craft, and to be open minded, accepting, and flexible. The only constant is that things are always changing. Service is the order of the career. Love it, Live it, and Make Every Moment Count.
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