In every job, there are concerns and worries. It is a natural thing that happens to everyone. But we also know there is so much excitement that comes from jobs that you want to pursue. In my future career as a teacher, I know there will be an abundance of excitement in my daily work day, with the kids, my colleagues, and the reward of being a teacher. With teaching, there are also some concerns that we, as educators, might have.
Right now, I can say I have a lot of excitement for becoming a teacher. Working with the students is a huge one. Being able to plant seeds and watch them grow throughout the year, as well as in the future is a huge deal and we can be proud to say that we helped with the development of those kids. Creating relationships and trust with your students is crucial to having a successful school year and helping the students learn and grow as young people. Just getting to know who they are and creating a small community in my classroom is something that I am so excited about.
I’m also super excited to be able to get involved with activities and help the school I’m working at in ways, like the PTA or even being on boards for new ideas for the school. Being involved in where I am has always been super prevalent in my life, so I want to continue that in my work life, as well.
The crafty part of me is coming out when I say this, but being able to decorate my own classroom and make it a learning environment that children will enjoy is also something that I am super excited about. I know what it is like to learn in a boring, bland classroom, and, as you can imagine, I didn’t learn as much because I was more distracted by the fact that the classroom was so blah. My Pinterest board has been preparing for this classroom for a few months now:)
While all of these things are great and something to look forward to, especially when I might be struggling, I do have one main concern that comes to mind when thinking about teaching. One concern I have is not being engaging enough for my students to enjoy coming to class every day. Obviously, I will try to be as engaging as I can, but sometimes certain methods don’t click with every student, and finding that balance is an important part of being a teacher. I’m sure the balance will come with time and it’s something that we, as educators, can learn from when mistakes are made, but I want to make sure that my students are learning what they need to learn without losing engagement, but it’s still something to keep in the back of my mind.
With all of this in mind, I still am so excited to become a teacher and I’m so excited to help so many students grow in their learning and skills for the future. It is such a rewarding career and I’ve seen what teachers I’ve had have done for me, so I want to give back for them.
Elana,
Your thoughtfulness about the craft of teaching is clear in this post, as is the positive attitude about teaching and learning. These dispositional qualities, part of who you are, will help you to thrive as an educator.
Peace,
Dr. R