Do You Really Want to Teach?
Moreso in personal interaction than social media posts, I come across teachers who raise the question in my mind, “do you really want to teach?” This observation can be broken down into a few key aspects.
The first item on the list being most glaring. Whether you teach the littles or the big smelly high schoolers, you need to like kids. Imagine if a dog groomer opened a shop and then openly professed they hate dogs. It’s that serious. A teacher who can’t relate to kids by having a conversation, sharing a joke, or enjoying their students has no business in a classroom.
Those who are permanently burdened with resting bitch face, may be excluded from number two. However, there are those who teachers who just managed a smile while at school. We all have bad days, crabby moods, and/or an emotional funk. But we all have to remember that the attitude is contagious. If students know their teacher as a grump, they likely won’t be able to confide in them or even seek out more interactions than absolutely necessary.
Number three on the list are the worst colleagues to have. Productivity and collaboration take a back seat to bitching. These teachers seem to hate their job and don’t seem too fond of life in general. It can be very difficult to stay positive amid the myriad of complaints.
What this all boils down to is attitude. If you find yourself frequently in one or more of these categories, do some reflecting and see if teaching is really for you.
Check out this topic's accompanying episode of The Free Thinking Teacher Podcast.
- They don’t seem to like kids
- Never smile at school
- Can’t hold a conversation without complaining
The first item on the list being most glaring. Whether you teach the littles or the big smelly high schoolers, you need to like kids. Imagine if a dog groomer opened a shop and then openly professed they hate dogs. It’s that serious. A teacher who can’t relate to kids by having a conversation, sharing a joke, or enjoying their students has no business in a classroom.
Those who are permanently burdened with resting bitch face, may be excluded from number two. However, there are those who teachers who just managed a smile while at school. We all have bad days, crabby moods, and/or an emotional funk. But we all have to remember that the attitude is contagious. If students know their teacher as a grump, they likely won’t be able to confide in them or even seek out more interactions than absolutely necessary.
Number three on the list are the worst colleagues to have. Productivity and collaboration take a back seat to bitching. These teachers seem to hate their job and don’t seem too fond of life in general. It can be very difficult to stay positive amid the myriad of complaints.
What this all boils down to is attitude. If you find yourself frequently in one or more of these categories, do some reflecting and see if teaching is really for you.
Check out this topic's accompanying episode of The Free Thinking Teacher Podcast.
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