Although I hate to keep going back to our discussion of teachers as professionals, I think it is important to think about. There are people in the class who I believe misunderstood some of the things I said. I in know way was implying that teachers should roll out of bed in the morning and head off to the classroom. What I was implying is that a person's dress should not be the only thing that reflects who they are. My idea of teacher's dress includes maybe nice slacks, a button up, and comfortable loafers. I believe that people should "dress the part" in their profession, and not try to portray something they are not. A fireman would not wear a business suit to put out a house fire, so why would a teacher of very young children wear a business suit to sit cross legged on the floor and read to children?
I believe that a teacher's job is one of the toughest yet most rewarding jobs there is. I think that they should be recognized for the hard work they put in day in and day out. I also believe they deserve respect from the public and should be viewed as hardworking "professional" people. I also know when I become teacher there are certain things that I deserve that I will not receive. I also know that I am going to make a difference in children's lives and receive the rewarding feeling of helping others over receiving a high salary. Another thing I know is I will never be seen as brilliant as a philosopher, or as intelligent as a lawyer. At the end the day I am okay with that. I am becoming a teacher because yes I LOVE CHILDREN and want to help them become better people. Is that so wrong? As I have said before teaching is one of the most difficult jobs there is, and yes every teacher deserves the respect of being seen as a professional. In saying this, I also know no matter what happens I will always hold my head up high when I tell people I teach young children.In my mind, the rewards I receive from helping children far outweigh the reward of someone viewing me as a "professional."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I agree with Katie. I believe that whether people view us as professionals is not really important to me. As teachers of young children, we do need to be on their level in order to relate to them. Does a young child have a better chance of learning with a teacher who can sit on the floor with them and interact with them, or just stand up and lecture all day? Like Katie said, we are making a difference in the lives of children. Instead of worring about how the public views us, we need to concentrate more on how we can help these children and why we have decided to be teachers. We have learned that it is very important for children to get a strong foundation at an early age. Where would children be if there were no Early Childhood teachers? We can make sure we dress nicely, but still in a way we can interact with the children.
I agree with you both. When we talk about teachers as professionals, I keep thinking back to Dr. Ferguson's class when she told us of all the times she has had to play the "surrogate mother" to her students. Some of our students may be homeless; others will probably come from broken homes. Where ever our students come from, I feel like it's our job to offer them what Dr. Ferguson has been teaching us about - a warm environment where they can be comfortable, feel safe and learn. I believe it's important for us as teachers to act as professionals, but I also believe that as long as we're dressed appropriately (like Katie said, slacks... not bedroom slippers) then our attire shouldn't be that big of a concern. I agree business suits would not be suitable for a kindergarten classroom, but it's also important to present ourselves well so our students parents and people in the community will take us seriously.
I agree with all of your comments. Whether someone views me as a professional or not is not what I'm concerned about. I did not come into the MAT Program worried about whether the outside world is going to consider me a professional or simply as a teacher. What I did think about while I applied to the MAT Program was all of the children I was going help and possibly change their life. I think everyone can agree that people do not go into teaching for the salary. They go into teaching because they love children and want to make a difference in a child's life. I would much rather go home at the end of the day knowing that I put a smile on a sad child's face or put food in a hungry student's stomach rather than having a large check but no self gratification to go along with it. I am currently a preschool teacher and am constantly on the floor with the children. Needless to say I do not wear a business suit or my most expensive clothes to work. But on the other hand, I do make sure that what I do wear is appropriate. I wear no low cut or tight shirts or any type of see-through clothing. Although I may not be dressed up, I am appropriately dressed for a preschool teacher. Whether someone views me as a professional or not, it is not going to change how I go about my day-to-day tasks of being a teacher.
I completely understand what everyone is saying about being viewed as a professional doesn't matter that much. That is, it doesn't influence your choice about whether or not you enter teaching. I don't think it should. But one of the things I am trying to argue is that the public perception of the professional status of teaching matters because, as a democratically grounded profession, it's the public that pays your salary. So the public perception matters a great deal when it comes time to vote for the bond referendum that will build new schools or raise the property taxes to increase teacher pay.
Another reason I find this discussion important is it has a lot to say about how teachers ought to be prepared/taught. If there is some sort of specialized knowledge that makes a teacher a teacher, then that's what we should be spending our time on in colleges of education, yes?
Post a Comment