You're not going to believe this
I guess this is a blog and a comment. After reading Disposition for Teaching/Dangthatboycancook’s blog, I reflected on my reasons for teaching. At this point I’m not even thinking about summer, I can’t wait until President’s Day. Even though I was unemployed or shall I say underemployed at the time I accepted this position I had thought about going into teaching for a while. My reasons were to make a difference. This is one of the reasons I chose to work for the APS because it was the system I came up in.
I remember reading an article during my undergrad career that discussed the where education was heading and what could be done to improve it. The basic gist of the article was that the brightest students were not going into education but were majoring in fields such as engineering, business, and medicine thus leaving the sub par students as the educators of our future. The article stated that we needed to figure out how to attract our brighter population into education. I realized the truth in the article from the moment I read it. At my university (which happened to start off as a teaching college) when ever a student flunked out of their original major, the first place they would head to would be the College of Education whose GPA requirements were only a 2.5. I’m looking at the people I went to school with and thinking I would not want them to teach my child yet they were the one that were ending up as teachers.
With that being said when I went into teaching it was for the right reasons. I felt I could make a difference; I was tired of hearing how bad the education system in Georgia was when I am a product of both the public school system and the university system. Unfortunately it takes more than a few good teachers. The students have to take some responsibility and ownership too. The apathy of this generation is ridiculous. When we were in school, we may not have wanted to be there, we may have cut class or acted up, but at least we did our work. Even the real problem students realized the value of an education. The students today don’t care.
Why was everyone in uproar when Oprah decided to spend her 41 million overseas? Can you argue with her reasoning? When she visited schools here in America and asked the students what would make things better and how they could use money they requested ipods and tennis shoes while in Africa they wanted to the money to purchase uniforms just so they could attend school. Our students’ values are mixed up. They have been given so much and don’t realize how good they have it.
In conclusion, we don’t the reasons why people get into teaching but with the state of education now can we really blame them for taking solace in the fact that summer is near. If that is what helps them make it through the day then so be it.
I guess this is a blog and a comment. After reading Disposition for Teaching/Dangthatboycancook’s blog, I reflected on my reasons for teaching. At this point I’m not even thinking about summer, I can’t wait until President’s Day. Even though I was unemployed or shall I say underemployed at the time I accepted this position I had thought about going into teaching for a while. My reasons were to make a difference. This is one of the reasons I chose to work for the APS because it was the system I came up in.
I remember reading an article during my undergrad career that discussed the where education was heading and what could be done to improve it. The basic gist of the article was that the brightest students were not going into education but were majoring in fields such as engineering, business, and medicine thus leaving the sub par students as the educators of our future. The article stated that we needed to figure out how to attract our brighter population into education. I realized the truth in the article from the moment I read it. At my university (which happened to start off as a teaching college) when ever a student flunked out of their original major, the first place they would head to would be the College of Education whose GPA requirements were only a 2.5. I’m looking at the people I went to school with and thinking I would not want them to teach my child yet they were the one that were ending up as teachers.
With that being said when I went into teaching it was for the right reasons. I felt I could make a difference; I was tired of hearing how bad the education system in Georgia was when I am a product of both the public school system and the university system. Unfortunately it takes more than a few good teachers. The students have to take some responsibility and ownership too. The apathy of this generation is ridiculous. When we were in school, we may not have wanted to be there, we may have cut class or acted up, but at least we did our work. Even the real problem students realized the value of an education. The students today don’t care.
Why was everyone in uproar when Oprah decided to spend her 41 million overseas? Can you argue with her reasoning? When she visited schools here in America and asked the students what would make things better and how they could use money they requested ipods and tennis shoes while in Africa they wanted to the money to purchase uniforms just so they could attend school. Our students’ values are mixed up. They have been given so much and don’t realize how good they have it.
In conclusion, we don’t the reasons why people get into teaching but with the state of education now can we really blame them for taking solace in the fact that summer is near. If that is what helps them make it through the day then so be it.
3 comments:
A very powerful post. This would make a wonderful op-ed. You might want to consider submitting it to the Atlanta Journal and Constitution (AJC).
You raise some thought-provoking and controversial (to some)points. Why aren't the brightest and the best college graduates going into teaching? Why do so many of our students fail to see or appreciate the value of an education? Why was Oprah "hammered" for opening a girls' school in Africa?
Anyone care to comment further?
Being a chef I fume and steam over many things and some may be blown way out of proportion by me. I really do enjoy teaching. Your right the children are very apathetic and it drives me insane. I will tell you this I had an epiphany about life this weekend. I do believe in God, Allah, Yaweh (please insert your higher power) but I really dont go to church as much as I should and by no means am I a bible thumper. Trust me I believe religion and politics dont mix even with those who see your views. I think it just took me the surroundings and the mind set of going to church this weekend to finally see things this way. You can't help those who dont want it, there is nothing else you can do but to practice temperance. Teach the whole class their curriculum with the labs that coincide with the lesson plans. The ones who go above and beyond can be rewarded by assisting you in caterings or any other functions you may participate in. Do not reward the apathetic when they realize whats going on theyll undersatnd. Trust me I started that today and you would be suprized how they started competing with one another. I'M HERE FOR YA MAN.
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