Why Teach?

I researched reasons why teachers choose to become teachers. I stumbled upon this quote that I believe sums up my reasons for teaching beautifully. "All farmers and even tenders of city ivy pots know the fascination of watching things grow. But for the teacher it's not things-it's people." I do believe that aiding in the growth of a young mind is a respectable reason to become a teacher. Knowing that you are helping to mold young minds that will eventually learn to think for themselves and develop their own ideas and thoughts is a wonderful feeling. Teaching allows you to accomplish this on a larger scale, by allowing you to work with many students at a time.

article: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,793660,00.html

I also found an article that described a New York City teacher's issues with the city's view of ESL teachers and all New York teachers in general. He described his experiences with officials who told his school that they were not doing enough to ensure that their students were reaching their full potential according to their data. He then began to talk about why he endured the extra hours, stress from the department heads. It was because of the students who came back to thank him for enabling them to create a goal and reach it. Students who never thought they would learn english never mind be sophomores in college. This article really made me think. Teaching is one of the most underrated professions in my eyes. Students and parents alike do not realize the amount of effort that teachers put in in order for their students to reach well beyond their potential. And the reward for the teacher does not come until years later, and sometimes not at all. In order to keep going, you have to think of the students that you have helped and where they are today because of you.

article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-reinbach/why-teachers-teach_b_468012.html