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Teachers

by Tara from Winnetka

Before you can begin choosing a lifetime career you must complete the necessary years of schooling that our society has deemed essential to basic living. This schooling is like a rough overview of the world and how it works. The people designated for that job of learning are called teachers. Teachers are young people’s key to cognition. They are in that profession because they have the training and compassion to help kids learn more about life. They are there to inspire kids to discover more about the world.


Usually people that are interested in the job of teaching have a keen sense of faith in people. Teachers encounter all types of students from all different walks of life, but they treat every one the same. Every student has the same potential to achieve and succeed. Teachers are able to look past what is on the outside and only see the ever-growing brain, always ready to devour new information. They know that there is so much out there in the world that there is always a potential discussion, and they usually have a knack at asking the right question to get those discussions started. And when there are questions that need to be answered that none of the students know, teachers usually have the answer. They have the training to make a decent shot at an answer, or at least let you know where you can find the answer.

People can’t just walk up and apply for a job at teaching straight out of high school. To become a certified teacher you must obtain a Bachelors degree and the proper teaching credentials. So that means that not just anybody can get a job teaching. There is a certain level of intelligence required. That is what makes teachers competent. They already have the knowledge to just input when needed. It is second nature for them. But, to us students, it’s all so new. A lot of stuff that is told to us by our teachers we have never even heard before. For instance, Algebra 2 was gibberish to me, but to my teacher, Mr. Encinas, it was as though he knew it like the back of his own hand. Another example would be when I read Uncle Tom’s Cabin for the first time and how powerfully it moved me. My American Lit teacher was not just reading and discussing the book with us. She was witnessing the effect the book had on each one of us as individuals. It’s like teachers are not only there to teach, but to also see what happens afterwards.


There is another part of teaching that seems like it doesn’t come from schooling. It’s the ability to teach us how to appreciate people for who they are, not what they are. It is the smile on a face that usually frowns. It is the light in a teachers eye when a student’s brain begins to start working. It is the patience and social skills that come out of having a discussion. It is the power to sit there and listen to somebody else’s opinion. It is watching a rare moment of blatant appreciation for one another as individuals. It is the hope that someday, somehow, you can make a difference. I think that is what makes teachers do what they do, day in and day out. I know that for some people teaching is not the perfect job because they don’t have the faith or confidence in people. A lot of wrong things happen in this world, and, if you weren’t able to make the small victories of your own days worth more than the incredible losses of people elsewhere, you can lose hope. Hope is what makes teachers go, because a smile on the face of a usually frowning student is like a glimmer of light shining through the dust.

Teachers don’t get paid much, so if you weigh how much you are appreciated by how much you get paid, teaching might not be the job for you. Teaching is something that provides something other than money. It helps singular people fulfill their need to help the world, in a time when the world needs all the help it can get. With teaching you have the ability to have a direct effect on somebody. That is another type of pay that comes from being a teacher. This pay is not for the bills or groceries, but for the mind, body, and soul.

Page created on 4/2/2003 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 4/2/2003 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

Related Links

Teachers net gazette - offers touching stories from teachers all over the US.
Education World - is a good place to find out what you can do to show your appreciation for teachers, since National Teachers Appreciation Week is coming soon.