I admire the passion of Jennifer Collins. She makes it obvious that few things in her job will cause her to quit, even if she ponders the thought on the daily. Her insight into the impact of being a teacher is powerful. She is right to say that teaching goes beyond the classroom. It is something that has lingering effects for the rest of a student’s life. The ending section was especially important. Her reminders about how easy it would be to quit, but never letting the big picture fade, is great advice.
As I press further into the educational field, I can only begin to wonder what stumbling blocks I may come upon, and thereafter overcome, on my walk through this career field. In the article “Let Care Shine Through,” much is given to the importance of caring. Caring is not surface level; it is a deep, intricate, multifaceted set of actions and beliefs that strives to seek out the best for a student. Teaching should not be treated as just a job, because it would be an injustice to the students being taught. The teacher-student relationships requires compassion and genuine interest.
A safe learning environment includes monitoring my own attitude. If I cannot act in a respectable way, how can my students? Show the students that teacher’s care, not just through words, but by actions day after day.
I found an article on the “teacher voice” and a real life example of how speaking guides classroom behavior:
https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/voice/voice013.shtml