Why We Teach...

Unless you do not own a television or glance at a newspaper or magazine you have seen how often education in this country has been in the news. From the perspective of three teachers it feels like an attack by the legislative branches of our state and national government. Many industries come under fire during any given day, week or year, but allow us to offer you a perspective you may not consider. Several public opinions have been offered stating that teachers do not care about their jobs or are causing our children, and therefore our country, to fail. This is simply not true. Our hope is that you will read our top five reasons for being a professional educator and reflect on how hard-working and meaningful teaching is to our youth.

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Hilary's Top Five:

1. I teach to be a constant in children's lives. Whether my students have a steady home-life or they fear where their next meal will come from, I am there every day. Teachers do not take sick days. We make the best of every day in any health. It is so important to us to be there for our students.

2. I teach to watch children grow. Unless you have watched a child persevere through a difficult task and finally succeed you cannot know the high we feel. Now imagine watching 20+ children accomplish their goals.

3. I teach because of my teachers. Whether I made good memories with those teachers or unpleasant ones, I learned something from all of them. Yes, even the ones who taught my parents. Age in teaching does not equal bad.

4. I teach to inspire lifelong reading. Reading is my favorite subject to teach. Discussing novels with my students is an amazing part of my job. The way a nine or ten year old can develop ideas and offer opinions is mind-blowing.

5. I teach to make a difference. No, I may not reach every single child, but that is my goal. Every day. Every week. Every month. Every year. As I tell my students, once you are mine you are always mine. I care about them for the duration of their life.

Addie's Top Five:

1. I teach because children need an advocate. You would think that all children have parents, and what better advocate for a child than his/her parents...those are the really lucky ones. Sadly, in a world of bills and stresses, some kids have parents so busy survivng that no one has time to fight for them. I do. And I will.

2. I teach to inspire life long learning. I love to learn and learning doesn't stop when you finish school. I have the opportunity to share that with my students every day.

3. I teach to make a difference. I hope that I reach every kid, every year, but that is not realistic so I hope to reach as many as I can. I want them to know someone does care about them; someone is fighting for them; someone believes in them. If they know this, they have a better chance of being successful in life...of following their dreams.

4. I teach because I love kids...middle schoolers crack me up! They are honest, funny, kind, caring, tough, and eccentric individuals. How lucky am I that I get to be a part of their lives? Very!

5. I teach for the "Aha" moments. There really is nothing like the look on a kid's face when he/she finally gets it. They may have struggled and made mistakes, but when the light bulb finally lights for them, it is a moment of pure triumph. And I get to share that.

Shannon's Top Five:

1. I MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Enough said. Being a public educator allows me to help young people embrace the power of learning. EXCITING!

2. I BELIEVE! I believe every one of my students can learn and I will use every one of my powers as a curriculum architect and student advocate (basically super hero status) to insure that they do learn. The road is not always easy and the path not always straight, but I see the positive change that occurs over ten months and irregardless of what any standardized test says, I know their growth is SIGNIFICANT!

3. I CARE! My students are incredibly important to me. I will do whatever it takes to help them succeed but before any of that learning can happen they must know I care. My relationships with my students matter. After 25 years, I am even lucky enough to be friends with many of my former students and even luckier yet to be inspired by many of my former students who are now teaching and coaching!

4. TEACHING IS FUN! I feel blessed that I love my job. It never feels like work. (Actually sometimes the paperwork feels like work, but...) The people I work with make TWIN LAKES SCHOOL CORPORATION a great place to learn.

5. NEW BEGINNINGS! Whether it is the start of a new year, the start of a new day, the start of a new class period...teachers get to have a fresh go at the challenge of chasing success. The pursuit of excellence keeps me feeling young, excited about what I am doing, and wanting to be the best I can be every day in order to help my students feel confident, secure, and jazzed about learning. Not a bad gig...

Think about the teacher who had the greatest positive impact on your life. Share with us what made that educator special...

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