We are all in the position we are in right now because of the same reason, we want to teach. We all have a love for children and want to make a positive impact on as many of their lives as we can. Unfortunately, there are many people who do not see teaching in this same way. It is often labeled as a mindless job (by people who don't know any better) and for people who want weekends and summers off. Many people cannot understand why anyone would want to go into the profession because of the low salaries that most districts pay.
I know I have had more than one frustrating conversation with people who don't understand the importance of having a good teacher or how vital our roles are in the lives of our students. Our job is the furthest thing from mindless, our minds always need to be on and ready to switch gears in an instant. We work much longer hours than the hours of a school day and even when we aren't working, it is constantly on our minds. Teaching is NOT for the weak of heart, mind or spirit. Every action, every statement, and every facial expression has an impact on our students, their education, and the type of people they will grow up to be.
With all of that being said, I found this video a few years back and I absolutely love it! Taylor Mali is a teacher and he wrote and performs this slam poem (I honestly don't know if he has any others but I would imagine he does). There are a lot of versions of this online that you can find, some are covers by other people, some are Taylor performing it live, and some have animations over his audio. I like this one the best because it has both images and the words to go along with the poem and, I think, it makes it the easiest to follow the first time you hear it.
Enjoy!!
-Marisa
Marisa I loved this! I also couldn't agree more. There are still people out there that lack respect for teachers and the difficult job we do and for me, it's always surprising because they have no idea how multifaceted our jobs are. Many people choose jobs for their pay rate but just like the video said, we do this so we can make a difference and that is so much more important <3
ReplyDeleteMarisa, what inspiration for just how important our job truly is! This really puts into perspective how powerful we really are! Just this past weekend my husband and I were running errands, and of course school conversation came up (because we never truly leave our kids and our classrooms after school hours) and quite honestly I do not remember what exactly we were talking about. My husband turned to me and said, "It's true, no one knows how much you really do." He continued on by saying that he appreciates all we do for our students, even just by being interns, and that it is one of the most under appreciated jobs. I was so proud he noticed this, that very few understand just how much time, preparation, and meaning goes into our job daily, other than just "teaching." Thank you to all of you for all that you do!
ReplyDeleteMarisa, what a great video! There are so many people out there that think we chose our profession just to have summers off, or simply because it's an easy job. I don't think anyone can fully understand how challenging, yet rewarding our jobs really are. Not only do we mold young minds and teach them important content that is necessary for future success, but in a way we are raising these children too. We're trying to teach them to be kind human beings, and teach them that any one of them can make a difference in our community. There is so much more to teaching than the "Common Core", and summers off. Even when we feel like we can't get through to the toughest and most stubborn students, we still continue to fight for them and show them they can be something. There's nothing more satisfying than getting appreciation from any of my students! This video puts every aspect of teaching into perspective, and we really understand it because we live it every day!
ReplyDeleteI loved this video. People always ask what teachers make... I feel like they ask teachers that question more than they ask any other professions for some reason. If we wanted to be monetarily rich, none of us would have probably decided to become a teacher. But to make a real difference, to influence young minds, to do something different each day, to enjoy being at "work" each day... those things are all what lead me to want to teach. This video really portrays that so well. We are definitely under appreciated and most of our work goes unrecognized... but as long as we know what we're doing, and what we're "making"... that's all that matters.
ReplyDeleteWow, what an awesome video, Marissa! Thank you for posting this! I couldn't agree more. It was inspirational to really feel the passion that Taylor Mali relayed to his listeners through this video. I think we can all relate to his message as education was none of our original majors. However, each one of us has this same passion inside. We chose a career in teaching and worked through the MAT program so that we may truly make an impact in our students' lives. Not many other fields are as dynamic, compassionate and powerful as teaching is!
ReplyDeleteMarissa, this is so true! I couldn't agree more for teaching and for this also connects to our program! Many people don't realize that our program isn't the average graduate program. I know that when I speak to other staff members at my school about the program they can't believe the amount of classes we have to take even after working all day. I think all of our hard work is very worth it and will pay off very shortly!
ReplyDeleteWow I love this video! Thanks for posting Marissa! I think this is a great portrayal for the passion that we all feel in wanting to become teachers, and why all of us are in this program in the first place. It is so important to be "making" more than just a salary when you go to work every day, and I believe that we are all going into such a rewarding profession that we get to make so many impressive and important things throughout a day's work. We make students work hard, wonder, question and criticize. We make students write, read, and spell, learn how to work with others, and become more apologetic. It is so important, in this world, to work to make a difference, not to make a salary, and we are doing just that! This was such a great motivator to get through finals and understand why we are pushing ourselves to be the best we can be throughout this program.
ReplyDeleteI love this video! My favorite part was when the teacher said to the people putting him down "You want to know what I make? I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could." To me, that was very powerful, inspiring, and most importantly true. It does not feel good to be talked down to by someone who simply does not have the same passion towards something as you and because of that they think they can talk down to others. I thank goodness that there are people like the cartoon in this video and us going into the education system passionately to ensure that students continue to work as hard as they possibly can with our support and guidance.
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