1. The changing teaching
profession and you
A teacher reflects: She looked around the classroom, enjoying a blessed moment of quiet after the
students finally left at the end of the day. “Ashley the teacher, that’s me”, she said proudly to the
empty room. “But why am I doing this?” she added quietly—and realized she wasn’t always sure of
the answer herself. But then she remembered one good reason: she was teaching for Nadia, who sat
at the table to the left, always smiled so well and always (well, usually) tried so hard. And another
reason: she was teaching for Lincoln, tired old Lincoln, who needed her help more than he realized.
She remembered twenty other reasons—twenty other students. And one last reason: she was also
teaching for herself, challenging herself to see if she really could keep up with twenty-two preadolescents
at once, and really accomplish something worthwhile with them. She was teaching so
she could keep on growing as a person, keep on connecting with others, keep on learning new ideas.
That’s why she was teaching.
The joys of teaching
Why be a teacher? The short answer is easy:
• to witness the diversity of growth in young people, and their joy in learning
• to encourage lifelong learning—both for yourself and for others
• to experience the challenge of designing and implementing interesting, exciting activities for the young
There is, of course, more than this to be said about the value of teaching. Consider, for instance, the “young
people” just referred to. In one class they could be only six years old; in another they could be sixteen, or even
adults. They could be rich, poor, or somewhere in between. They could come from any possible ethnic background.
Their first language could be English—or something else. There are all sorts of possibilities. But whoever your
particular students are, they will share potential as human beings: talents and personal qualities—possibly not yet
realized—that can contribute to society, whether as leaders, experts, or supporters of others. Your job—in fact your
privilege—will be to help your particular “young people” to realize their potential.
Another reacher reflects: Nathan paused for a deep breath before speaking to me. “It’s not like I
expected it to be,” he said. “I’ve got five kids who speak English as a second language. I didn’t expect
that. I’ve got two, maybe three, with reading disabilities, and one of them has a part-time aide. I’ve
had to learn more about using computers than I ever expected—they’re a lot of curriculum materials
online now, and the computers help the kids you need more practice or who finish activities early.
I’m doing more screening and testing of kids than I expected, and it all takes time away from
teaching.