My job is sometimes hard and rarely convenient and always unpredictable.
Here's an example of unpredictable. The second day of school I wrote about a boy who had made a mean comment about how I could "learn a thing or two" from his previous English teacher. "How rude!" I thought. I try to have thick skin, but the truth is my skin is paper thin so I moped around over the comment for a few good hours and even wrote about it on this blog because I just couldn't shake it.
That was last week. This is this week.
This week the kid has latched himself right to me. It's the darndest thing. Before the bell rings as students are trickling in he asks me what my plans are for the weekend and why I chose to go into teaching and did I know he's going to a Black Sabbath concert on Thursday? He comments on my shoes and he raises his hand in class to answer all my questions and it don't take no dummy to see that he wants me to like him. I don't know why last week he felt that he needed to offend me when this week it is obvious that he is seeking my respect. Today he told me about a friend of his who recently died in a car crash, and I shared with him about Shelbey and we bonded over the heartbreak of lives lost too soon.
I guess this kid just reminded me of how much I love my job. It is definitely rough at times, but at the end of the day I get so much joy and satisfaction out of it that I can't imagine doing any other job.
Last week I heard about a documentary that is airing on Sep. 6 on CBS about education in America. It poses: What Does it Take to Be a Great Teacher Today? which I'm excited to see how it will be answered because there are a lot of really good teachers out there and there are a lot of really bad teachers out there. I am really excited to watch it- I think education is a profession that is under thanked, under paid and over criticized. The documentary addresses the problem of what's going to happen to the teaching profession in the next ten years when an estimated 65% of America's teachers retire.
I would encourage any of you who have ever thought about going in to the teaching, been curious about the field, or had experience with a great teacher to watch this. You can also visit this site for ideas on how to keep education innovative and engaging in your community.
Lastly, if you or your child has had a fantastic teacher, PLEASE share it in the comments below. Nothing would make my weekend like reading inspiring stories of the teachers you won't ever forget... I guess it gives me hope that my students will value the work I put into teaching them in the same way. And hopefully it will give some of you who are still on the fence about the teaching field a little boost!
Also, you know if you have any questions about teaching you can always email me up: thelifeofbon@gmail.com.
*This is a sponsored post by Participant Media. All passionate opinions are my own.
