The phrase “those who can’t do, teach” is one that I have heard my whole life. Just last week, that phrase was mentioned in a movie I watched while with my family. Thinking back on that day now, I can remember my sisters laughing at the joke and thinking it was so hilarious. Instead of laughing, I couldn’t help but reflect back on that phrase. It wasn’t until I watched that movie that I realized how often I actually heard that statement. I can vividly remember telling my friends which colleges I had applied to and that I planned on majoring in elementary education. I can also remember which of those friends told me that I could do so much better. I even had a parent tell me that I was just “taking the easy way”.
Not only are these words hurtful, but they just aren’t true. There is so much more to teaching than just talking at a class and expecting them to listen. Teaching takes skills that most people don’t have, such as respect or kindness. While in a classroom, you are not just their teacher. These children may see you more than they see their own parents. From my own experience of volunteering in classrooms for the past two years, most students are not afraid to tell you what is going on at home. Teachers become a support system for their students.
Teachers also have to make sure that everyone is learning. Not everyone may take in information at the same pace or the same way. Because of this, it is difficult to make everyone happy in a classroom. Teachers have to find ways to make their classroom the perfect learning environment for each student. Doing this requires putting in the time and patience to give each student an equal chance at learning in the classroom. Teachers also have to deal with parents. Everyone knows that no matter what a teacher might do for a student, the parent of that student may never be happy with the hard work that teacher has put it to make the student, and the parent, happy.
Even though teaching takes a lot of hard work, I am not going to let people who don’t realize how important teaching is ruin my dream. I have wanted to be a teacher for years. I know that the patience, kindness, and passion required to be a great teacher is all worth it. Just because I want to be a teacher, that does not make me dumb or just unsure of what I want to do. The criticism I have gotten over the years about being a teacher has only made my passion grow stronger. Teaching is what I love and what I think is important, and no one is going to make me feel as though what I love is worthless.