I Just Realized...

Ever since I've wanted to become a teacher, it's seemed so far away.  But tonight, I realized that it's within arm's reach, and that scares and excites me all at the same time.

What prompted this realization?  I went to an event the Middle and Secondary Education Club (I'm the secretary of the club) was holding with the principal from the Charter School of Excellence Maritime Center in downtown Erie.  She was phenomenal!  She was incredibly unconventional and I instantly respected her, and I could tell her students did, too. 

She talked about how the school was formed and all that good stuff.  But then she got to the bones of her discussion: the students.  I was on the verge of tears the entire time because I couldn't fathom how so many students in one school could come from such poor socioeconomic conditions with less than ideal home lives.  Since the Maritime Center is a public school, they have to accept all students who elect to go there.  But she doesn't just leave it at that.  She brings in each student and their parents and has a formal interview with them, where she sets up expectations and guidlines, and makes it known that the parents will be held accountable.  She said that not everyone showed up, so she went to their home and had the meeting there with them; she is so incredibly dedicated to her students, and she tries to take an active role in their education, a far cry from what my principal did when I was in school.  I was impressed with how much she genuinely cared.

She talked about keeping control of the classroom and how to handle bad situations--working in an inner city school yields a lot of those situations.  This was the first time when it registered in my brain that I should pay attention to these tips because I will need them in less than two years.  As an Edinboro student, being placed in an inner Erie school for your junior field or student teaching is inevitable.  It finally clicked that my freshman year is over, and I'm on my way to becoming a real teacher, something that excites and terrifies me.

Being a teacher isn't about standing behind a lectern and summers off--it's about "planting a seed," the prinipal said.  She reassured us that, as a teacher, you might not immediately see the growth of that seed, but eventually it will take root and sprout.  I think that's important to remember as I continue this process.  I'm sure it'll be easy to get bogged down and discouraged, but out of the millions of things you say as a teacher, at least one will stick and change a student's life.

This is the first time I've realized what it ACTUALLY means to be a teacher.  While I am intimidated, I am also excited because I know I have the skills and smarts to succeed in this profession.  This whole event reminded me of a discussion in my SEDU183 class; our professor asked if we thought "teaching was a noble profession."  Honestly, I think it's one of the hardest and most beneficial professions.  Obviously it's different than brain surgery, but brain surgeons don't have to deal with dangerous teenagers and crack dealer parents.  Every day will be a struggle, but I know it will be worth it.