Forest E. Witcraft once said “One hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in or the kind of car I drove. But the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.” Many people think that “Those who can, do, those who can’t teach” (What Teachers Make) but what those people don’t know is how much hard work and training goes into become a successful and effective teacher.
Description of Career
Elementary school teachers are not only responsible for academic achievement, they are also responsible for providing students with a stable, clean and safe learning environment. On a normal day teachers will respond to at least thirty emails, these emails will be from parents, fellow teachers and administrators. At this point in time, email is a teachers easiest and fastest way of communication. Elementary school teachers assess students academics and are able to teach on a classroom wide or small group basis. Realistically teachers work for the school district but teachers mainly work for their students. Mrs. Jill Cooper, a second grade teacher at McDowell Mountain said that the best part of her job is “When you can see the kids are progressing, when they’re actually learning what they’re trying to teach them, and especially when they're struggling, struggling, struggling and all of a sudden they get it.” (Cooper, Jill) Teachers “make parents see their children for who they are and what they can be.” (What Teachers Make) Elementary school teachers will spend their life devoted to changing the world one child’s mind at a time.
High School and College Preparation
At Fountain Hills High School there is a group of classes called the Education Professi...
... middle of paper ...
...ary-school-teacher/reviews>.
"The Six Ts of Effective Elementary Literacy Instruction." Reading Rockets. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2013. . This article was originally published in the June 2002 issue of Phi Delta Kappan as "What I've Learned About Effective Reading Instruction From a Decade of Studying Exemplary Elementary Classroom Teachers." Reprinted with permission.
Mali. Taylor. “What Teachers Make.” What Learning Leaves. Newtown, CT: Hanover
Press, 2002. Print.
"College of Education." Undergrad Admissions. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. .
FHHS Course Book. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 2012-2013. Web. 2 Dec. 2013. .
"Forest E. Witcraft." Jefferson Area Childrens Health Improvement Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.
Gunning, Thomas G. "Chapters 1 & 2." Creating Literacy Instruction for All Students: International Edition. Boston, Mas.: Pearson, 2013. N. pag. Print.
Taylor Mali, an American slam poet and teacher, wrote a poem titled, “What Teachers Make”. In this poem, he rhythmically tells about other professions criticizing teachers based on their choice of occupation. While teachers will never earn six figure incomes, they make a difference. Teachers dedicate their lives to leading, inspiring, and educating future generations, all while earning meager pay. Though teachers form foundation of education, their pay does not accurately represent their skills. Using merit pay systems will properly assess how much a teacher should be paid, based on their teaching ability.
The seven pillars of effective reading instruction are an important base to an effective and engaging classroom. Teachers, who are able to apply each of these pillars to everyday learning in the classroom, reach their students and provide instruction in meaningful and approachable ways. Each of these pillars provides important ideas and information that work together to create an effective learning environment in the literacy classroom. By accessing and including each of these pillars in my classroom environment, curriculum and instructions, students benefit from the more effective reading instruction possible.
While growing up and observing my teachers at school, I have learned that it isn’t always an easy job. Teachers do everything they can to teach their students’ academic, social and other formative skills. Plenty of my teachers have to deal with complications, most of them being minor, but it isn’t always an easy job helping children, teens and young adults. As a student myself, I know they can be stubborn, unwilling to learn, aggressive, and irresponsible. Sometimes, they simply don’t care. However, that is a teacher's purpose: to help and shape their students to become better learners, so that they have a clearer understanding regarding a variety of subject matters. Someday, I actually want to become an elementary art teacher, which is why I researched this career. I chose to gather more information of what skills it takes to be a teacher and what you need to do to successfully fulfill this career.
With the low expectations of teachers, students are limited in their ability to learn. As discussed before, it is difficult to predict how well a teacher will do at their job before they begin working. This creates doubt when hiring anyone, and employers may not know if who they are hiring is the right choice. If teachers are judged by not only the basic requirements met, but also their interpersonal skills and how well they are able to teach in a positive manner, there will hopefully be less mediocre teachers hired. In the same way, both an advanced teacher and an average teacher are paid the same wages, which creates a flaw in education. Even more, there should not be average teachers in the workforce if all teachers are paid the same. Though this harms the advanced teachers, who deserve more than they earn, it also harms the students, as they are taught at a lower level by the inadequate teachers. Gladwell mentions these flaws in his article, but he also explains the traits good teachers should have, which brings a strive forward in this issue. Because of this, it is clear America must be more selective and strict when hiring
At the base of every profession lies the information and skills we learn from our teachers. Yet teachers get paid close to one hundred times less than the professional athletes used for entertainment. Teachers help kids and teens learn basic curriculum as well as important life skills they use throughout their lives. Without the knowledge a teacher gives us we lack good doctors, lawyers, government officials, engineers etc. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that the average high school teacher makes about $57,200 annually, teachers deserve much more for the job they do. (“High School Teachers”)
In the United States, educators are valued for being more than just a teacher by society. Educators not only nurture and enrich student’s minds, but they are also preparing them for the future. They are the stepping stones to the student’s pathway of success. Yet, K-12 teachers around the country, with the exception of the East Coast, are often overworked, overwhelmed, and usually underpaid, due to the lack of funding, for the dedication and time that is required to succeed in their profession, but some areas of the country, for example Rhode Island, do over pay teachers.
Prescott, Norman. "NVQs and teacher training: A chance for cooperation." Education & Training. 37(2): 16-21. 1995
“Middle schools provide 10 to 15-year-olds with developmentally appropriate educational experiences that emphasize the education and overall well-being of the learners,” to address their developmental needs as adolescents (Manning, Bucher, p. 9). Middle school teachers are a big part of providing an environment where their students can grow as the diverse learners that they are, but also an environment that caters to the developmental needs of their students. Teac...
Literacy is an on-going skill that teachers and students alike should commonly study and practice in all grades. Problems faced by teachers, especially teachers in higher grades, are not having the skills to be effective teachers of literacy. To effectively teach literacy across content areas, a teacher would need skills such as knowledge of the reading process and the ability to cultivate the knowledge gained in order to make informed decisions within their classrooms (Clary, Oglan, Styslinger,
As an education major at State College, I’ve decided to become a teacher for several reasons. As I progressed through elementary, middle, and high school, many of my teachers were great role models for me. This has inspired me to become a role model for someone in the near future. My love for science and math has also influenced my desire to teach and make a difference in a child’s life. I want to teach students the subjects that I love so much. I want the feeling that I helped a child accomplish or learn something they couldn’t understand. One of the main reasons I want to become an educator is because I feel education has really lost teachers who truly love teaching and those who truly love teaching and those who have the desire to make a difference. I feel I can really help make a difference in the education world and bring back the love to teach.
Many people on this earth grow up saying they would like to make a difference in this world. However, half of those people do not feel like putting in the work in order to do so. As an elementary education major, making a difference is one of the main goals. There are many benefits of becoming a teacher, and students benefit as well. In order to have many students successfully graduate from one grade to the next a teacher should be willing to put in as much work that is needed. Elementary school is where children are set up for the rest of their education. It is important to understand how to go into this career field, becoming a teacher has its own benefits, and the children are able to benefit from teachers.
It’s hours upon hours of grading tests, quizzes, essays, and much more. It’s interacting with the students, understanding how students think and learn, and most importantly, knowing how to prepare students for their future, whether it be going straight to college after graduation, to the world of work, or to the military. Being a teacher is caring for kids and students and pushing each child to be the best person he or she can be. ¨… one theme runs consistently throughout every great teacher’s career: their job does not end with the school day… Great teachers motivate, inspire and lead. They interact with their community to affect positive change through their students and themselves. Great teachers change lives,” (“What Does a Teacher
Being a teacher is not an easy task as many people could think. To be a teacher does not only imply to know the subject to be taught, it also includes being willing to constantly improve oneself integrally, as much as updating the resources and materials one uses in teaching. Reflecting and analyzing over and over again the best way to teach to learn and how to make students to extend what has been learned. The many hours spend in the classroom will never be enough to plan lessons, prepare materials, review pupils tasks and exams, as well, all the administrative requirements one has to cover for whatever institution we work. Besides all this a good teacher, a professional one, will have to find the time to keep preparing to improve oneself.
Our nation’s education system strives through the hard work and dedication of its educators. Often great teachers, principles and supporting staff are drawn to the profession because they possess the desire to empower, inspire, nurture and watch young people grow - not only academically, but also emotionally. These people are there because they want to make an impact upon our society and the lives of whom the reach. Highly effective teachers are those who have taken learning to new heights by accelerating student learning, closing achievement gaps that persisted for decades, and promoting a mindset of change. Moreover, the presence of highly effective teachers in classrooms today continues to manifest as a result of the support from strong school leaders (U.S. Department of Education, 2013).