Teaching is one of the most challenging but rewarding careers a person can choose. It requires a lot of mental and emotional strength every day and requires one to give all their resources to the students. However, the feeling one gets when they see a student understand a concept or succeed at their goals makes the sacrifice well worth it.
My goal as a teacher is to inspire students to become better people than they are today. My hope is that my students will leave my classroom being more competent than when they entered. That may mean they become more literate, more self aware or more articulate. It does not mean however that they must achieve all their goals in my classroom but if a student can leave my class having achieved at least one goal, then I will feel successful.
My applied voice teacher in my undergrad once told me that the mark of a good teacher is one that renders themselves obsolete.
In the beginning stages of learning a skill, students will rely on their teacher for guidance and support but as the student becomes more proficient at that skill, they should need the teacher less. They may also be able to glean something more from another teacher and it is the teacher’s responsibility to let that student explore other perspectives and strategies. I also believe that there is only so much a teacher can provide for their student and that the student must take responsibility for their own learning.
It was my softball coach that said, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”
We have a responsibility to be facilitators of learning and create an environment in which students can be curious about the world around them.
Public school teachers are responsible for teaching more than just the prescribed curriculum. It is our responsibility to teach children how to be good citizens. They must learn social cues, respect for others and respect for their environment from their teachers.
We must be teaching our students competencies as opposed to content if they are to succeed in our rapidly changing world.
I appreciate the new B.C. Curriculum and its shift to teaching competencies and big ideas as opposed to content. When the content becomes less important, a student can focus on their competencies without the pressure of meeting a deadline of the end of term or semester. The student can continue to develop their competencies over several years without being penalized for not completing the prescribed content.
I also fervently believe that teachers should be involved in extra-curricular activities with their students. As a private voice teacher and choir director for the last 12 years, I have been strictly an extra-curricular teacher. I have been fortunate to teach in this manner because I have the privilege of teaching students that are very passionate about the subject I teach, music.
Teaching extra-curriculars can allow a teacher to connect with a student on a different level.
It lets the student know that the teacher is truly invested in their learning and they can become more invested in regular classes because they feel you are invested in them.
The most effective way a teacher can teach is by example. It is imperative that teachers strive to be a life long learner and be unafraid to make mistakes. Teachers need to show humility and that mistakes are not the end of the road. Some of the best opportunities come from a missed or failed opportunity and as teachers we must show our students the kind of strength that is required to overcome adversity and succeed in our goals, even if those goals change on account of our hardship.
As teachers, we must constantly be striving to help our students to grow in some way. It does not have to be a monumental change, but it must be recognizable. This is how we can change the world and why I decided to become a teacher.