I think I think too much

[goodbyechance]

All I really want to do is start over. It seems to be the prevailing mood everywhere, suddenly, this need to start new, start fresh, clean everything out and begin again. Maybe it’s just because it’s spring. Maybe it’s because the whole world seems like it needs a good scrubbing. Maybe I’m just getting old and cynical; reading too much news

Comments

[saffronlie]

Australia, England and the US all have flawed education systems, as far as I can see (not that I've judged all three for myself, I just keep hearing/reading about the problems in each country). Maybe education is something that can never be perfected. It does have to be dynamic and responsive and open to change, and it's hard to know how to make that change

But this I know: good education starts with good teachers. Good teachers are priceless. There are many kinds of teachers and teaching styles. It won't come easy, but just by trying you will be making a difference. I think it is a noble and very important profession, and more than that, I think teaching is a vocation, or at any rate, it is my vocation (if academia turns out not to be for me I would like to teach secondary-school English). It's good that you're being realistic, but don't be afraid of the flaws in the system, because this might be your chance to help change what needs to be changed.

<3

[sweetrapunzel]

As a teacher myself, I think you pretty much summed up the way I feel about it. Except that I'm already doing it, and often feeling stupid and naive for deciding to do it. And it's scary, but it's rewarding. The trade off you make is this: you put up with crap from every angle (parents, lawmakers, boards of education, your district, and probably other teachers) and get paid shit for doing it, in exchange for the fact that you absolutely hands-down love to teach and are passionate about what you do.

PS - No Child Left Behind can suck it.

[sweetrapunzel]

And also, those kids are gonna learn something from me even if I have to trick them into it. I will sabotage them with useful knowledge and information if need be. No matter how sucky the system becomes, and how much we are made to "teach to the test", there will always be some way to infiltrate the curriculum with actual learning.

[givinchycowgirl]

I wanted to let you know that I read your whole post here, and just thought that it would be good for me to say so