Paragraph On Secondary School Teacher

The career I chose is a secondary education teacher. More commonly referred to as a highschool teacher. A highschool teacher teaches grades 9th-12th and generally focuses in one subject area. High school teachers help prepare students for life after graduation. They teach academic lessons and various skills that students will need to attend college and to enter the job market (“U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics”). I chose this career because I want to be able to make a difference in young people’s lives and help shape them into good people. “I know that I have a huge impact on my students not just now, but for the rest of their lives,” says Linda Shelly, a high school math teacher in Glendale, arizona. “Seeing them rise to the challenge gives me great pride.” (“Teaching For a Living: Career Outlook”).

Teaching is a very important field when considering what to do for the rest of one’s life. The world will always need teachers to teach our children what they need to know. What would be the better option, teaching high school or elementary school? This proposes an interesting question that can only be answered by the individual willing to teach. By comparing high school and elementary school, and delving into three different areas, such as: training, classroom environment, and student behavior, a wise career choice can be made.

Not everyone takes in consideration a teacher’s role in society, most people only see them as that teacher that doesn’t know my child, and yet give him a bad grade, but it is not true at all. Maybe centuries ago, teacher’s job was to make their students learn Math, English, and Science, but as mentioned, that was centuries ago. Today’s teachers do so much more than just teach a subject, they teach life, they listen to the student’s personal problems and help them find a solution, they want to make sure that the students fulfill their life, doing what they love, but most importantly, today’s teachers become our inspiration.

     Our teacher’s shape our worlds young people into adults. They can teach students more than what the parents can because they have more time to spend with the students. Many parents work full time and do not have the time to teach their children how to be good adults. There are also some parents who do not know how to be good adults and can not teach their children how to be good adults. I have seen many teachers at my school that would do anything to help a troubled student. Teachers can give the students their

Kindergarten and elementary school teachers often prepare younger students for future schooling by teaching them basic subjects such as math and reading that they will need as they further their education (“U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics”). Often times we may overlook the importance that these teachers have. They are crucial for developing skills that children cannot form on their own. Teachers that teach at the elementary level have the chance to establish the child’s strengths and weaknesses (“How to Become an Elementary School Teacher”). This is beneficial for the future so that they know what they need to work on to succeed. This is a noble profession because they are setting the children up for their success down the road in life. This career is distinguished, and the education required allows for an early entry into the

Just like in any other profession or aspect of life, there are many myths that threaten education in public schools. Many people believe that teachers are the most important influence in a student’s academic achievement. In reality, educators have a very little influence in student achievement compared to other influences in the students’ lives that is out of the teachers control. It has been proposed that teachers don’t need to go to school to learn how to educate, they just need knowledge of the subject matter. This could be extremely destructive to student learning because they would not have the proper skills to instruct a classroom. Another common misconception is that instructors in

While observing during my fieldwork assignment I had the pleasure of speaking candidly with quite a few teachers. It was Chanel Thompson’s conversation that stood out to me most. It seems we are like minded in many ways. Currently she works at Francis Elementary, a school that is currently plagued with the daunting tasks of trying to enrich not only the academic careers but the lives of its students. Francis Elementary is one of the many Houston schools that services children that fall in the bottom of the lower middle class, in terms of socio economic statuses. Like me, Chanel stated that she picked this profession because of the impact she would have on various children that she would teach from year to year. After teaching for just four short years she still feels the same way. She went on to say “Teaching will be the hardest yet most rewarding job you will ever have.”

The United States is currently facing a difficult time with teacher shortages. In North Carolina alone, 14.8 percent of teachers left the profession in the school years of 2014-2015 according to the Public School Forum (Barth et al. 23). Teacher shortage is a crucial topic to keep at the forefront of discussion because it affects the quality of education that students receive and, subsequently, the future of the United States. It is crucial for the United States to enhance student performance in order for the economy and our technological industry to continue improving. One factor that causes the teacher shortage are the different qualifications needed in order to get certified to teach in a certain subject. However, even after completing these qualifications, there have still been cases in which teachers are not being hired because they are either over-qualified or under-qualified. In addition to these educational barriers, North Carolina has some of the lowest numbers for teacher salaries which has led to a decrease of people desiring to enter into this profession and, as a result, those people choose to not major in education or move to other states to teach instead. After all this, it is very clear that one has to be passionate about working in the education profession. Unfortunately, even those who power through these first few hurdles, there are many negative factors that come into the picture as a result of remaining a teacher. Two possible solutions that can help the

The issue of teacher shortage today is continuing to grow. The effects of the achievement gap are reaching the teachers, not just the students: “...good administrators and teachers, who are doing their best under difficult circumstances, will be driven out of the profession…,” (Boyd-Zaharias 41). The achievement gap is part of the reason teachers feel they are underpaid, which happens to be one of the leading cause in teacher shortage considering, “Teachers were paid two percent less [than comparable workers] in 1994, but by 2015 the wage penalty rose to 17 percent,” (Long). Being a teacher requires passion in order to stay in the field, especially if the money in teaching is decreasing. Money is an important aspect for people when it comes to their careers, therefore, fewer people want to become teachers. This lack of teachers and the lack of college students studying to become a teacher leads to unqualified teachers and larger classroom sizes (Ostroff). Both of these causes are eventually affecting students’ learning environments. I chose this issue in education for my project because I have personally felt these effects, and I know others who have as well. As a future educator, I want to see better wages and better benefits, but this can only happen with qualified, passionate teachers. I plan on being one of them, and I plan on sparking a change. I am a future educator fighting to end teacher shortage.

Teaching has always been lauded as an altruistic and fulfilling career. What better can one do to contribute to society than educate and prepare the future generation for success? At first glance, there are many attractive characteristics regarding the job: work-free summers, plenty of holidays, and the chance to impact a child’s life forever. However, in recent years, enrollment in teacher preparation programs have been on the decline. Headlines announcing “America’s New Major Teacher Shortage” have filled the news and papers, and Florida has been named as one of the states impacted. More and more teachers seem to be leaving the field. The question, though, is “Why?”. Many might point to the poor pay that teachers are notorious for receiving, but teaching has never been known for making big bucks in the first place. With both new teachers and longtime veterans leaving the field, the problem seems to be something more internal.

For the longest time, I wanted to be a Kindergarten teacher. I have had the privilege of working in a kindergarten classroom before, and one of the best feelings is seeing kids grow and learn. I could not think of a more rewarding career than helping kids on their first stepping stone of education. However, when I met my athletic trainer, Jeanine, I became very intrigued in physical therapy, and became torn between teaching and the medical field. As much as I wanted to be a teacher, their salaries pointed me in the direction of physical therapy. I am not alone in this decision. Because of low salaries, the United States has found a shortage of teachers. The ones who do pursue education are often forced to work another job to make financial ends meet. Teachers also found they are spending their own money on their classroom, an additional expense that takes even more out of their already small salary. Additionally, teachers work very stressful jobs, and their income only shows how underappreciated they are. For shaping and influencing the minds of the world’s future, teachers make one of the lowest salaries. Even though people often claim that teachers do not work for the full year, they work much more than people assume. However, their salary is a poor reflection of how much work and dedication teachers put into their profession on a daily basis. Teachers’ salaries should be increased.

With beginning teachers usually earning entirely less than other college graduates, the profession is at loss of top-notch, quality people who tend to find jobs seeking more money. Almost 50 percent leave the profession within 5 years, lured by higher pay and prestige elsewhere in the booming U.S. economy (World, 1999, par. 7). Starting teachers average a $25,735 salary in the United States compared to an engineer earning $56,820 or a physical therapist earning $56,600 (Engineer, 2000, par.1). And what signal does it send out about the value of good teachers and a good education when a 45-year-old teacher with a master’s degree earns $45,000 a year and a 25-year-old out of law school often starts at $80,000, considering a six year education for a master’s degree and a seven year education for a law degree (Greenhouse, 2002, par. 4)? A teacher is also given no compensation for the long hours spent basically in overtime work. The teacher’s day does not end when they leave school because if lesson plans, grading, or planning is not completed, it will have to be finished on their own time. Accountants, paralegals, and engineers all are compensated and get paid overtime for work that does not get completed in a regular day or if they want to stay and

On the 11 September 2013, the second observation took place in Teacher 1's class at 8:20 am (see appendix D1). Teacher 1 briefly introduces me to the students as a teacher/researcher and tell me to sit anywhere I want. I choose an empty chair among the students. I did this in every class I observed. The total numbers of students present were 21 in total. The lesson started by an Islamic greeting, and students were told to take their places and be quiet. The teacher gives no introduction to the lesson, but rather jumps into a “fill in the blanks” activity for writing practice. Students are quiet and passive and only respond when asked upon. The teacher gives no praise for correct answer, nor gives a chance for students who

A teacher can play a crucial role in a juvenile’s life. Teachers spend countless hours outside of school making sure their students receive the best from them. Every teacher from kindergarten to college graduate classes can have a substantial impact on their student. Eric A. Hanushek of Stanford University that if a student has an excellent teacher, no matter the level of schooling, he or she can raise that student’s lifetime earnings by twenty thousand dollars (Kristof, N. 2011). Without teachers, kids from a young age could be led the wrong direction, they need someone to learn from and guide them towards the right direction. In a firsthand interview with Ruth Hopkins (2017), a teacher at Symmes Valley High School, she stated that without excellent teachers there would not be any well educated people today.

Elementary teachers not only introduce their students to the basic concepts of core subjects, they also help pave the path to each student’s future success. Education to become a teacher is long and tedious, and while the income may not be the highest available, watching students develop a new skill or grow an appreciation for learning can be very rewarding. Because there will always be a need for education, even with the recent budget cuts, teaching jobs will always have to be available somewhere.