Wednesday, June 05, 2002

 
contributed by Ann who got this from her listserv


Why are we teachers?

A Great Answer

I thought this was the best answer I’ve heard to this question!


We were all sitting around the dinner table discussing life and the man across from me decided to show his brilliance. He says the problem with teachers is, “What’s a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?” He reminds the other dinner guests that it’s true what they say about teachers: Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach. I decide to bite my tongue and resist the temptation to remind the dinner guests that it’s also true what they say about lawyers. Because we’re eating, after all, and this is polite company.


“I mean, you’re a teacher, Taylor,” he says. “Be honest. What do you make?” And I wish he hadn’t done that (asked me to be honest) because, you see, I have a policy about honesty and ***-kicking: if you ask for it, I have to let you have it.
“You want to know what I make? I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional Medal of Honor, and an A- feel like a slap in the face. How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best?


I make parents tremble in fear when I call home: I hope I haven’t called at a bad time, I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today. Billy said, ‘Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don’t you?’ And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen. I make parents see their children for who they are and what they can be.


You want to know what I make? I make kids wonder, I make them question. I make them criticize. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them write. I make them read, read, read. I make them spell ‘definitely beautiful’, ‘definitely beautiful’, ‘definitely beautiful’ over and over and over again until they will never misspell either one of those words again. I make them show all their work in math. And hide it on their final drafts in English.


I make them understand that if you have brains then you follow your heart and if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make, you pay them no attention.


Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true: I make a difference in the lives of hundreds of children. Now what about you? What do you make?”

Thai Chinese Intl School 9:20 AM