(Please leave comments; I'd love your perspective! The more specific the better! I'm really tired and I want to go home so I'm not going to try to write this well, but here are my ideas.)
Decision: I want to become a high school civics/social studies teacher with eventual intent to be a principal when the inevitable little people that look a bit like me are old enough. Or whenever.
The buildup: I've been telling Mr. Stumpf, my high school principal and mentor of sorts, for years that I'm interested in his occupation. His advice has always been to teach first so the other teachers don't look at you as an ivory-tower administrator, which I guess is another way to say out-of-touch idealist. When I make decisions it always takes a lot of talking myself into it so I get beyond just the abstract feeling that I want to do something to specific reasons why it is okay and fits in with my life goals.
What was it about today that convinced me: I went to a media literacy conference today, and got paid for it (sometimes I <3 temping), and realized that as a social studies teacher, I would need to read the newspaper every day, and that made my lil NYT-loving heart sing. Then I had a moment. Then I met a lady who was a teacher for 35 years and works in teacher development at Fenway High and invited me to just come hang out there. Yes please. Then I made a decision and felt right from the inside out, kind of like how I feel when I realize I love someone, the feeling that makes me cry.
What I'm looking foward to: loving those teenagers--even the unloveable ones, helping them understand their world and empowering them to influence it, processing current events together, gathering around the television when something dramatic happens, having an insta-community both of students and of coworkers, parent-teacher conferences, high school sporting events, lots of time to develop my interests and talents and to travel during the summer, maybe even to start a non-profit or something if I happen to feel like it, being a renegade, creating interactive lesson plans where the students can use their own agency to learn, being in the thick of real-life issues, civic engagement, politics, forgiveness of student loans, throwing my heart into something, dressing like a professional, having to learn new things all the time, teacher development conferences, being charming and enthusiastic, etc., etc.
My reservations: The thing that bothers me most about teaching is preparing people to do what I will never do myself. I went to a lecture by the U.S. Secretary of Education a couple of months ago and one of her education reform ideas is that high schools should have more adjunct staff, people with real life experience, to come in and teach kids. I would feel cooler as a social studies teacher if I had been involved in public service somehow. Also I always worry about if something is prestigious enough to justify using my endless reserve of brilliance on it. And if I would be good enough. (Those previous two statements are contradictory.) Also I'm scared of kids who don't want to learn, but I might be able to get to them too. Also I'm scared of decorating a classroom. And of my voice getting tired. And of being boring.
I did my internship as a high school teacher in Italy, and by accident too. Maybe it wasn't by accident after all!
What I need to do next: talk to people I love and admire and get their reaction (comments please!), talk to the lady in my ward here who is an assistant principal, talk to my high school principal and social studies teacher, learn Spanish, choose a graduate school, get an education-related job now.
The end. Please reply.
10 comments:
That's so cool you are developing an interest/passion. I can see you as a principal. High school teacher? Perhaps you could pull it off. As for decorations, I envision a morass of news articles dotting the walls. Plus I could see you putting up constitution snippets everywhere. Maybe even a statue of liberty.
I recommend you talk to teachers about the pros and cons of teaching social studies in a high school to see whether you are prepared to deal with all the cons. teaching doesn't pay very well and a lot of people become disillusioned and quit, so you should make sure you are prepared to deal with all the cons. If you are, go for it!
the decorating will come. it is daunting but at least you're not going to be an elementary school teacher, which is just a whole bunch of crazy when it comes to decorating. you'll make your room your own.
i think it's an amazing choice, which i already told you, and i think you'll be brilliant at it. i think if more brilliant people made the choice to cultivate the brilliance in our children, our country would be in a much better place. and the awesome thing about teaching is that you can do it anywhere, you can do it everywhere, you can take time off to do other things and then come back to it. there is never NOT a need for teachers...and you'll be fantastic.
First, I love what an idealist you are.
Second, I think its a great idea. I think you could really rock at it.
Hey hey Savanna! Thought I would comment on this lil blog of yours...
The first statement that really hit me was this one...
"...I would feel cooler as a social studies teacher if I had been involved in public service somehow..."
You were involved in Public Service for 18 months... you have had a life experience doing this that a lot of people don't get and you know how to relate to people of all social standings.
Rich people, poor people, homeless people and those who desperately need help... I think you would be good in a teaching position and then further on as a principal...
Don't let yourself be led astray from what you are clearly passionate about because of a few what ifs...
Take care and have an awesome day!
Love Mel
i've met a lot of people who say they want to be teachers. almost all of them will be abysmal teachers. they simply don't have the charisma, eloquence, or mental toughness they'll need to actually help a lot of kids. but i think you would be an absolutely fantastic teacher. you would love what you're teaching so much it would be infectious, you're good with language, and you can genuinely care about other people and relate to them. at least in my limited experience of you. i was just always so picky about teachers--i've had some great ones, but i had little sympathy for the inept ones. i could see you being one of those teachers i absolutely loved.
What an awesome and noble idea that you have!
It's so hard to narrow down what you want when you, my sweet sister-friend, are so amazing at everything. I want to be a doctor, a butcher, a baker, and a candlestick maker. Rub-a-dub-dub. There are many things that you could do, but since you have the option, make sure that this is something that you are passionate about doing, and it sounds like you are. Get some experience in the field.
Most of all, keep praying about it. Everything works out the way it is suppose to even if we cannot quite see it yet.
I love you! Good luck.
Icie
I want you to absolutely love the idea before you start. I want you to finally know what you are going to do in graduate school and never think again... maybe I should still look into such and such. Once that happens, once you never want to look at a different graduate program, then I will want you to do it!
I want so much for this to be the "genuine article," to be the thing you really love the most. I have been so sad to see you not know what to do after BYU, I really want you to find it. If this is it, I think it is a fantastic idea, because as a social studies teacher I don't think you'll get bored; especially, if you make current events a part of the beginning of each class period.
Please say "I made a decision!!!" (with out the think I). I hope you know it is not because I am irritated or bored with all your thinking and wondering, but just because I want you to have something you can be excited about for a long time and finally feel some kind of peace about the next step in your life. I love tons and tons.
Why not do it? You could even start teaching at a private school or a charter school if you don't have your teaching degree yet. Life is too short to always wonder IF. Someone close to me always did that and is now in his late fifties and has rarely accomplished his dreams. You should go for it and if along the way you change your mind, you can stop doing it. And who cares if you don't have "real" experience in social studies...you can still teach kids to improve their lives and go out and be the civic leaders.
I think being a teacher is what prepare better than anything else to influence people, change lives and be a good mom. It may also pay very very well. DO IT!
Post a Comment