The Gift of Teaching
Think back to the year 2000. Our president was Bill Clinton,Y2K never happened, people were watching the first season of Survivor, and the biggest economic question was how the government was going to spend its $230 billion dollar surplus. Oh, and gas cost about $1.30/gallon. Terrorist attacks were problems for the rest of the world, we were certainly impervious to such threats in America. And in this year… the year before everything changed, I started teaching at Masuk High School. It has been a great time to be a history teacher. From hanging chads to a global war on terrorism the entire nation is realizing the importance of studying our past to inform the present. I am grateful for having the opportunity to …show more content…
I chose teaching, probably like many of you, because I wanted my life’s work to be worth more than the paycheck. You should see the look on the faces of my college buddies when I talk to them about coaching the track team or one of the daily successes in the classroom. They are jealous. It has nothing to do with summer vacations. (That goes far beyond jealousy.) How many times have I heard friends say, I wish I could do what you’re doing. Or, “Sometimes I feel like my job [usually something corporate] makes no real difference. “ What we do on a daily basis is a constant challenge—difficult, and at times, draining. But it is also rewarding and important. There are thousands of adults in this community and others whose lives have been helped by your work. We can lose sight of this. We take it for granted. Think about the excitement that teaching can bring. I’ve seen one good lesson revitalize a student teacher who was on the brink of depression. You hear it in the hallways, people can’t wait to share their stories about a lesson that goes well. People just don’t have that kind of reaction to marketing trends or TPS
Think back to the year 2000. Our president was Bill Clinton,Y2K never happened, people were watching the first season of Survivor, and the biggest economic question was how the government was going to spend its $230 billion dollar surplus. Oh, and gas cost about $1.30/gallon. Terrorist attacks were problems for the rest of the world, we were certainly impervious to such threats in America. And in this year… the year before everything changed, I started teaching at Masuk High School. It has been a great time to be a history teacher. From hanging chads to a global war on terrorism the entire nation is realizing the importance of studying our past to inform the present. I am grateful for having the opportunity to …show more content…
I chose teaching, probably like many of you, because I wanted my life’s work to be worth more than the paycheck. You should see the look on the faces of my college buddies when I talk to them about coaching the track team or one of the daily successes in the classroom. They are jealous. It has nothing to do with summer vacations. (That goes far beyond jealousy.) How many times have I heard friends say, I wish I could do what you’re doing. Or, “Sometimes I feel like my job [usually something corporate] makes no real difference. “ What we do on a daily basis is a constant challenge—difficult, and at times, draining. But it is also rewarding and important. There are thousands of adults in this community and others whose lives have been helped by your work. We can lose sight of this. We take it for granted. Think about the excitement that teaching can bring. I’ve seen one good lesson revitalize a student teacher who was on the brink of depression. You hear it in the hallways, people can’t wait to share their stories about a lesson that goes well. People just don’t have that kind of reaction to marketing trends or TPS