At the beginning of the academic year, I noticed a few high school freshmen getting confused between simplifying algebraic expressions and solving algebraic equations. It took just 15 minutes to get to the root of the problem: they don't understand the concept of the equal sign. You know, our ubiquitous and seemingly benign friend: "=". And then I saw the same problem in some sophomores, and then even a junior.
My first instinct was to wonder if perhaps they had a learning disability of some sort that's hindered them from grasping basic mathematical concepts all these years. But then I see that they read just fine, write just fine, count just fine... so what's going on here?
Well, I'm inclined to think that if a teenager enters high school not understanding the equal sign, some certified "teachers" out there have been doing them a big -- no -- monumental disservice (and continuing to do so for many other kids).
They say it takes a village to raise a child. If parents/guardians are the village chief, teachers rank a close second on the hierarchy of influence, considering how much time kids spend in school. The average American child spends 1,260 hours in school per year (let that sink in...). Teachers simply cannot afford to not care about their job.
Well, maybe they can afford to. But kids can't afford to have their teachers conducting half-assed lessons. Parents can't afford to have their kids be exposed to an awful role model every day. And our society can't afford the results of classrooms run lazily and mechanically.
As a teacher, you cannot afford to not like your job. There are plenty of other jobs where you can excel without being particularly fond of your duties. That's because Excel sheets/Powerpoint slides aren't going to be ruined because you whipped them up in an hour when you were supposed to do it in three. You can always print a new set if you spilled coffee all over whatever it is people carry in those leather-bound folders, and your clients will never have to know it happened. But children and teenagers are human beings. You leave permanent imprints in their minds, their characters, their ideals, values, aspirations, their whole lives.
For every dedicated and engaged teacher out there, there are going to be a few who are "bad" just because they're not particularly gifted at teaching, or because they are overburdened by a bureaucratic and unsupportive system. Those are unfortunate, and should definitely be fixed, but the scarier question is this: for every teacher who does a good and thorough job, how many are lazy, entitled, and uncaring? I don't think there are official statistics for this, and I'd be too afraid to find out the answer anyway.
I had a 7th grade History teacher who napped at her desk while we copied notes off the screen. 13-year-old me decided I hated history and never took another history class. Then there was an 11th-grade Economics teacher who would roll her eyes at our questions, which made me determined never to ask another question in class. But I was lucky that the number of good teachers I had outweighed the number of bad ones, so I turned out quite okay overall.
I hope all teachers love their job. What does loving your job mean in the context of teaching? I don't mean you have to feel like sunshine and rainbows all the time, because it's obviously hard work with many ups and downs. I don't (yet) have much experience in the education sector, but I believe loving your job quite simply comes down to:
1. Recognizing the responsibility and privilege you have to be able to do life with your students.
2. Recognizing the value of every young person your serve on a daily basis.
And of course, acting upon those recognitions.
This article was originally published on Under Reconstruction. Follow the blog on Facebook.