Where Have All The Teachers Gone?
Paige Turner
As I sit in my classroom reflecting on some of the amazing educators I was blessed to work with and learn from during their student teaching semesters, I stopped and wondered, where have all the student teachers gone?
Most of the press about education focuses on teacher evaluations, teacher pay, education funding cuts, Common Core State Standards, PARCC testing, and many other extremely important educational topics. But, peel away all those educational issues and you will find a teacher and their students at the core.
Our public schools are in disarray, mainly from the Public Education Department down to the local school administration. There is much to transform on those levels, but in the classroom you still have the teacher and students enjoying the love of learning.
Teaching can bring you incomparable joy. There is immeasurable satisfaction being part of guiding a child to learn to read, enjoy their first novel, conquer that math problem, write an essay, while creating a safe place for them to feel welcome and comfortable enough to make mistakes and learn from them.
If I had not followed my true arrow on the path to becoming a teacher, my life would be less rich. I am a different person, a better person because of what my students have taught me about life. Connections I’ve made with students have become some of the most deeply rewarding relationships of my life. Some of my former students are now my colleagues and friends. I admire them all and they inspire me to this day.
Who are we as educators to issue an advisory to anyone who suspects their path is to become an educator? We should be encouraging future educators to follow their arrow. There is no way I could dissuade someone from pursuing their path of teaching. I encourage young people and the nontraditional students to research education, form your own opinions, and follow your true north. I hope it’s to the classroom!
Teaching is a challenging and exciting profession and not for the weak! Transformation does not occur by leaving the profession and discouraging others from joining. Transformation will occur if those of us who are not happy with the current state of education stay, unite, find our voice and make ourselves heard.
As educators, we must keep teaching in ways that serve students’ academic, social and emotional needs. As educators, we need to keep telling our stories. As educators, we need to listen to student’s experiences in our classrooms. As educators, we need to draw some attention and then speak. As educators, we can’t walk away we must mentor new teachers.
If you are contemplating education as your career choice, I encourage you to become a teacher and join our movement for educational transformation. As the pendulum swings there will be wonderful times and times that are hard. It’s during those hard times that we have to bolster our resilience, and share our stories in an effort to effect positive change. I will continue to encourage people to consider a career in education in hopes that we no longer have to ask…where have all the teachers gone?
