Day 28: Why Teach? WHo would be crazy enough to do that? #aprilblogaday

-->Prompt:  Would you encourage young people to consider the field as a profession?

Image Via schoolsweek.co.uk

Every teacher has seen lists like this one in the HuffPost titled "21 Reasons To Quit Your Job And Become A Teacher" (2013) I, like many teachers here in NYC, am a career changer.  I started grad school in the fall of 2006 at the age of 29.  There were not any fancy incentives for me becoming a teacher.  I don't teach math or science and I am not a special education teacher.  I am a run of the mill English teacher.  What makes me a little different is that I am also a theatre teacher.  I am licensed in both subjects.  I also has a successful career as a theatre professional before moving to teaching. I didn't become a teacher because I couldn't DO what I intended to in my first career.  I became a teacher because I wanted to (and I have already established how selfish teaching is).  It was my evolution. 

I often tell my students is that one of my biggest priorities as their teacher is to make sure they know how to learn independently from me.  My best teachers gave me freedom to discover what I loved and the space to explore that passion.  While school is very different than it was when I was in school, this is still my goal.  I want my kids to leave my room as independent and confident thinkers, researchers and challengers of scholarship.  A sense of inquiry is essential to growth.  My students hopefully go on to college and careers confident and ready to take on anything they are presented with. 

Becoming a teacher--and working as one-- is an investment in both time and money.  I often joke with my kids that I have a MA from NYU instead of children.  In NY one must ultimately have at least a Masters degree to continue teaching. (You can start with a Bachelors degree.)  I also tell the kids though, that education is the best way to invest.  It can not be foreclosed upon. The debt has been worth it.  The journey is worth it.  

If you are not sure about teaching, don't start there.  Do what you think you want to do.  Try it.  See how it goes.  Then if you still want to teach, you will find your way.  

For my friends who like data, here are some numbers for you...

In NY State (2011-2012)

Data from the National Center for Educational Statistics   

Total Teachers: 241,000 

Percent of teachers, by highest degree earned
Less than a Bachelors - 2.8%
Bachelors - 4.4%
Masters -  84.2%
Education specialist  or doctor's -  8.6%

Percent of teachers, by years of full-time teaching experience
Less than 3 - 5.3% 
3-9 years - 30.0%
10-20 years - 45.5% 
Over 20 - 19.1%

Average Class Size
Elementary 20.7
High School 25.2

Note: I have no fewer than 30 kids in each of the classes I teach.  The biggest is 34, the cap here in NYC.  I did teach in an alternative high school where my average class size was about 20.  That was ideal.

We need teachers.  We need strong, confident people of all backgrounds to teach and lead in schools.  It is just that simple.  Do it.

Day 3: My Concern? How to take back the narrative. #Teachingis... #Edblogaday

Day 3 topic:
What's your biggest concern about teaching and what can we do about it?

We all have things that concern us.  There are the day to day things, the larger scale things, then the systemic things. Immediately, passing rate for the AP exam on the 13th, how to push the three kids who didn't do well on the state exam to move forward before June 2nd.  The Spring Talent Show in June and how to get the underclassmen involved.  Supporting 9th grade team to help get their kids read for the science and math exams as well.  Hiring fairs and events as we look to hire our last cohort of teachers as my school grows to have all 4 grades. Completing the last of the observations for mentees for the year and logging those hours. Oh and lessons, always lessons....

Things like one ones I listed above come and go.  They are part of the constant flow of working in education.  Our work never stops.  These are not the things that concern me any more.  My bigger concerns now reside in the sentiments about teachers by public officials.  I watch the news in the morning as I get ready for work and there is one in particular that is disheartening. The picture is paints of who we are is inaccurate at best. In airing it in this high traffic time of 6-7 AM as many parents are getting ready for work, I wonder what they are internalizing.  Any counter on behalf of our union seems adversarial at best as thus begins the war of words.  This is where we need to come in.

Early on in my career someone told me that the climate, policies and ideas circulating about teaching and learning shift about every 8 years.  Next year will mark the beginning of my 8th year and I am hoping for a shift in the public narrative about teachers.  That is one of the reasons I started with the April Blog A Day challenge and now the Ed Blog A Day.  Even though I don't think that I have some great insight or brilliant piece of thinking on teaching and learning, by being authentic, looking for progress and not dwelling in negative, I hope to work to change the narrative, one blog at a time.

Next week is the beginning of Teacher Appreciation Week.  With your colleagues and even students ask them to finish the statement: "Teaching is..." and post it to your social media platforms #teachingis.  There are some great resources here with the  Teaching Is Partner Pack. This is one easy way to continue working to change the narrative and what a powerful way to bring teachers in your school community together to start each day in celebrating what we do. (Special thanks to Jenn Ward for sharing this with the #Edblogaday community)