Teaching is magical...and painful, and heart breaking, and stressful and exhausting and life-changing and in some moments, absolutely frustrating. But mostly magic.
There is a thing about teaching that keeps bringing you back. You can't put your fingers on it and you search for that reason while you are sitting at your desk, papers past your ears, way beyond the hours you should work for a healthy lifestyle.
The magic lies in the days with the kids who don't care, whom it seems you will never reach. The same kids who run into you years later and apologize for being that kid and tell you that they never forgot that you never gave up, even when they had. For the kid who refuses to do homework, or show up who you worry about even when they are not even your own child. For the day when they finally come in and ask for help. Even if it is for a few minutes, they came in and cared about something. The magic is in the student that stares at you blankly and questions you on everything and frustrates you because you feel disrespected. You go home at night, still furious when one night you realize, he was asking all the right questions, just in all the wrong ways.
And lastly, the magic is that end of the year moment when you all know it's your last day and you see the heartbreak in your students eyes when they realize they won't see you next year. It's that moment when you unexpectedly reached a kid everyone else had given up on. It's that magical moment that comes at least once a day when one of your students, if not the entire class, teaches you. And together you learn and together you grow and together you create why I teach: magic.
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Why teach? Because magic.
by LunchTimeRandom •
Teaching is magical...and painful, and heart breaking, and stressful and exhausting and life-changing and in some moments, absolutely frustrating. But mostly magic.
There is a thing about teaching that keeps bringing you back. You can't put your fingers on it and you search for that reason while you are sitting at your desk, papers past your ears, way beyond the hours you should work for a healthy lifestyle.
The magic lies in the days with the kids who don't care, whom it seems you will never reach. The same kids who run into you years later and apologize for being that kid and tell you that they never forgot that you never gave up, even when they had. For the kid who refuses to do homework, or show up who you worry about even when they are not even your own child. For the day when they finally come in and ask for help. Even if it is for a few minutes, they came in and cared about something. The magic is in the student that stares at you blankly and questions you on everything and frustrates you because you feel disrespected. You go home at night, still furious when one night you realize, he was asking all the right questions, just in all the wrong ways.
And lastly, the magic is that end of the year moment when you all know it's your last day and you see the heartbreak in your students eyes when they realize they won't see you next year. It's that moment when you unexpectedly reached a kid everyone else had given up on. It's that magical moment that comes at least once a day when one of your students, if not the entire class, teaches you. And together you learn and together you grow and together you create why I teach: magic.
There is a thing about teaching that keeps bringing you back. You can't put your fingers on it and you search for that reason while you are sitting at your desk, papers past your ears, way beyond the hours you should work for a healthy lifestyle.
The magic lies in the days with the kids who don't care, whom it seems you will never reach. The same kids who run into you years later and apologize for being that kid and tell you that they never forgot that you never gave up, even when they had. For the kid who refuses to do homework, or show up who you worry about even when they are not even your own child. For the day when they finally come in and ask for help. Even if it is for a few minutes, they came in and cared about something. The magic is in the student that stares at you blankly and questions you on everything and frustrates you because you feel disrespected. You go home at night, still furious when one night you realize, he was asking all the right questions, just in all the wrong ways.
And lastly, the magic is that end of the year moment when you all know it's your last day and you see the heartbreak in your students eyes when they realize they won't see you next year. It's that moment when you unexpectedly reached a kid everyone else had given up on. It's that magical moment that comes at least once a day when one of your students, if not the entire class, teaches you. And together you learn and together you grow and together you create why I teach: magic.
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Worth Reading
by kjaxon • • 0 Comments
Two texts from this week that resonated with me:
Helen Keegan’s blog “We are the audience; We are the performers,” which has some nice insights about how to participate in the Connected Courses and highlights blogs for consideration.
Sean Morris’ blog “Digital Pedagogy: A Case of Open or Shut,” which does a great job defining digital pedagogy.
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The answer to life, the universe, and Why Teach?
by astengorama •
The answer to life, the universe, and everything (but “Why Teach?”) is 42.
The answer to “Why Teach?” was summed up perfectly by my friend and colleague Mark: “I teach for selfish reasons.” So do I, and my reasons aren’t much different from the ones he so articulately explained in his recent blog. Teaching is fulfilling, learning is an addiction (and you can’t have one without the other!), and both give my un-spiritual self a reason to be. I’m going to let Mark speak for me here and direct you over to his blog for further reading.
A related question that I’ve been thinking about lately is “Why literature?” Why read it, why study it, why teach it? Again, there are so many smart people out there who have voiced their opinions on why literature matters and I don’t want to just repeat them because you’re probably familiar. Reading makes you more empathetic—yep. Reading makes you smarter—indeed. Reading is good for humanity in general—if it makes you smarter and more empathetic then this must be true, so yes.
But are any of these reasons going to make you want to pick up Crime and Punishment on your days off? Probably not. Think about how much less appealing reading literature for these reasons is, then, to a teenager. Telling them that reading will make them a better person, more able to cope with the hardships of life, more understanding of people next to and far away from them, more knowledgeable about geography, history, science, philosophy, bunnies, why people hate and why people love—is like telling them they should WANT to eat vegetables because they’ll be healthier and live a longer life. What you’re asking them to do is to commit to a daunting and possibly unpleasant task for an abstract reward that *maybe* they’ll start to notice in a decade or two, assuming they’ve done a bunch of other stuff that also goes in to making a person better, smarter, or healthier. Basically, imposing even your valid reasons on a person as a way to coerce them into doing something they ordinarily wouldn’t do is a pretty ineffective approach. Alternatively, you could go with the “Or Else!” method. Eat your vegetables or you don’t get ice cream! Read Huck Finn or you fail! They would be more likely to do it, but less likely to voluntarily want to do something similar again.
People need to find their own reasons to want to read. I see it as my responsibility as a teacher to provide my students with the opportunities and the tools they need to decide for themselves why literature matters. So far, the best way I know how to do that is to give them options and to encourage creativity. In this way, students can show me Why.
And we’re back to the selfish reasons why I teach: teaching has endlessly creative potential. I can’t sing, can’t dance, can’t draw, I’m sort of good at following a recipe, I can barely crochet a scarf—I would have been a terrible guest in a 19th century drawing room. And even though my difficulties with writing have become almost phobia-like, I’m an excellent close-reader and I use that skill to inspire my teaching. In a way, classrooms are my canvas. Teaching is MY outlet for the creative energy we all have inside of us, that desire that drives a person to do a thing or to make a thing well and to be acknowledged for it.
I posted some of the wonderful work that students created in the section of Great Books I taught last semester, it’s up on the “Scholarly Pursuits” page. Spoiler Alert: we wrote a book!
TTFN
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Why Do I Teach?
by nathansandoval89 •
Education is a gift and a privilege that should be shared with the world. I believe that everyone can utilize education as a resource to suit their specific needs, supplementing and amplifying realworld experience in order to advance their knowledge and accomplish their ambitions.
We stand at the edge of a precipice. In a world deeply intertwined by the web, information has become more readily accessible. Connecting yourself to ideas, researching new developments, becoming a recognized critical voice, and adding that voice to an ever changing discussion is essential as students and as educators.
I believe that people can gain more from giving that from taking. I have learned that education is a gift that needs to be valued by students. In order to be truly valued, this gift must be built around the needs of the student rather than the ideals and standards of the University.
I wish to sell ideas and knowledge. I do my best to present information in a way that suits my audience. One hour class at a time, I captivate and relate in order to establish and manage student goals. My profits will not be measured by dollars and cents, but rather accomplishments and comprehension. I teach because students deserve the opportunity to have access to knowledge. I teach because I believe the search for knowledge is never ending. And I teach because I have the power to give others the keys to the world.
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What’s it all about?
by nathansandoval89 •
I believe that ideas have power. These ideas are shaped through our words. The form that we choose to utilize our message is within our control. The mediums which we choose to communicate our message, our form and our ideas are ever changing. Learning to communicate through these changing mediums is essential in order to make an impact upon the future.
I live to learn and I learn to live. My love of knowledge is an endless thirst. And though I may wander the desert for eternity in search of my oasis, I will savor every drop of water that takes me one step closer to my fountain of truth.
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Why Not?
by Cisco Arriola •
College was not quite on my mind after high school and I wasn’t sure if I ever want it to go. This began to change in the spring of 2007 when I became interested in film production. Well a good friend of mine who was going to school at UCLA, knew a guy who was working on his film thesis. I got in contact with this guy, and I was brought on board as a production assistant/grip. Following the completion of this project and I began to work on other film productions, commercials, and music videos that summer.
I was very fascinated with this art and really enjoyed working with these creative people but then I realized why am I not a student and I should go back to college and study film production. The people I worked with, highly encouraged me to go to college and study film production and just go to college. Driving home was my reflection time and I had to find something to stay amused while stuck in traffic bumper to bumper on the four-o-five (LA traffic). Those long hours stuck in traffic led to the big questions: Why not? Why not get an education? I thought about going to college over and over (thinking about film school). Then I realized I didn’t have to have a set of vocational goals. My biggest fear was taking classes that I’m was not interested in (GE classes) and writing papers. Also, I didn’t really know how to write a solid college level essay and I found writing very stressful. But I knew writing was essential if I want it to explore my ideas and write scripts.
August rolls around and I find myself seating in Dr.Magee’s English 59 class at Fullerton College. I’m sitting there thinking what am I doing here. I should skip this class and just go to my film classes. Before I could do that, Dr. Magee begins to talk about how everyone leaves his classes loving the art of writing and no one in his classes ever failed. Well this was a good start and, I stayed in the class. I wrote my first paper and I recall thinking how awful that paper was. I get my paper back, Dr. Magee gave me feedback and said I should see him if I needed the extra help. I reluctantly go to his office hours to get the help I needed writing my papers. After completing my first year of college, I realized how much Dr. Magee and other professors helped succeed academically. The following year I enrolled in all GE classes (including English 101 and a literature class) and I didn’t take any film classes. After many visits to the writing center and to Dr. Magee’s office, I began to ponder why not study literature instead of film. Two semesters ago I couldn’t even wrap the idea of me pursuing a degree in literature or even going into teaching. After reflecting and thinking that working in the film industry is not as rewarding as being a teacher and helping others achieve their academic goals. I decided to pursue a career in teaching. This was the turning point in my educational career and I came to the realization that education something I enjoy and it’s a great experience.
I transferred to Chico in the fall of 2009 and I graduated in the spring of 2011. After spending four long years in college, you can imagine my relief and happiness of finishing school forever. I moved back to Los Angeles and worked as a substitute teacher and as an after school film teacher at a middle school (Film club). Working in K-12 classroom settings was a very rewarding experience. Teaching was very exciting but I miss being a student and I knew I needed to get a teaching credential. Well I thought why not go to grad school and become more knowledgeable about my subject. Then in the fall of 2013, I am back at Chico State as a grad student. Being here is very exciting to me and I’m very grateful that I got this opportunity to continue my education and keep growing as a scholar. I’m excited to be here and looking forward to completing this program and becoming an inspiring teacher and keep living the dream.
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Why (oh why) teach?
by markulendo •
The question of the hour, dear reader, is why teach? And as someone in the middle of grading a stack of papers while trying to finish their thesis, my first reaction is to say “good [expletive redacted] question!” But after a moment of cooler contemplation, I feel like I can offer up an answer of sufficient insight and, hopefully, readability.
I teach for selfish reasons.
I teach because of the overwhelming feeling of fulfillment that comes over me when I see a student do something they had not previously been able to do. This moment is what makes it all worth while, the moment when you can see irrefutable proof that you are actually doing something, and helping someone to do things of their own. It would be easy to frame this as an altruistic motivation, but I think that would be taking something away from the true feeling of the matter. While there is certainly an altruistic element to it, I like to think I would help others even if it didn’t make me feel good, one should not ignore the sheer magnitude of gratification that comes along with helping someone to reach an “Aha!” moment. Rather than frame the teacher as a saint, tempting as that may be, I instead posit the idea of benevolent self interest. If you can make a career out of helping people and feeling good about yourself, that can’t be too bad…
I teach because of my love for learning. I’m the kind of fellow who, when at a loose end, will go on a wikipedia binge and read everything I can find on the history of Norway as an independent country. Spoiler alert, they had to fight Denmark, like, a million times. I once spent the hours between midnight and two AM learning everything I could about the Blakiston’s Fish Owl (who walks from place to place so much that he trudges out a trail in the snow from his nest to the river where he hunts by jumping on fish) and, by way of geological association, the Russo-Japanese war of 1904. The point of all this is that one major fringe benefit of teaching freshman composition, is getting to study vicariously through my students, and learn about 30 weird new things with every new stack of papers.
I teach because it forces me to improve constantly. There is a point in the pursuit of any skill where you feel like you have achieved some fraction of mastery, like you really know what you’re doing. And then you try to teach someone. Suddenly they are asking you all the “why” questions for things that you do naturally, and you are forced to go back and think, why do I do it that way? Is there really a benefit or necessity in that? This can be a frightening moment, but it is also the moment where your mastery truly deepens, as you begin -out of necessity- to develop the rationale and theory behind your actions. You might know intrinsically to make a certain action in a certain situation, but teaching will force you to develop the understand of why that situation requires that specific action, and what it is about those elements that allows them to work together in such a profitable way. The old adage goes, “if you can’t do, teach” but I would reject that in favor of “If you’re not teaching, you’re not doing.” True mastery is not just the ability to perform, it is the ability to bring others up to your level, to have a deep and constantly evolving understanding of performance that you can pass on to future generations.
Finally, I teach because I’m not spiritual. You’d never get me to call myself an exi-staaaahn-tialist, but I feel the gnawing pressure of the void as much as the next 20th century French novelist. Teaching is a way of finding meaning and purpose in a world that can just as easily be empty and meaningless. I may not have a spiritual overlord to give my life purpose, but I can find some meaning in doing whatever small things I can to make the world a better place for those that will walk its surface when I am gone. I am not saying that being taught by me makes someone’s life better (although of course it must), but I do hope that I can have some small impact in developing a students sensitivity and awareness, perhaps effecting a sort of grass roots movement of change by doing so. That last sentence is incredibly pompous, but I do believe that the only way to change the world is to change the way people think about the world. You can occupy wall street until the cows come home, but until people decide of their own volition that some things are more important than net profits, there will be no change. Hopefully through providing a space and an opportunity to think, to develop awareness and sensitivity to the world, I can also provide a space to encourage a change in individual thought that might, eventually help move our society towards a change in values. And hey, it beats going to church.
