Posts Tagged ‘teaching’
“Love your job!” – Doc Meek
March 17th, 2017 | 
Author: 4 Teachers Share Why
They Love Their Work
A rising demand for teachers and a decreased supply is creating a teacher shortage in the U.S. At ReadyJob, we wanted to do something about that. So, in an effort to inspire today’s young people to consider becoming teachers, we decided to highlight the best aspects of the profession. We reached out to teachers and asked them what they found most rewarding about teaching. Below are some of the reasons they gave:
Teachers prepare students for the future
If you’re not in education, you might think a teacher’s job is about sticking to the books–teaching students the “3 Rs” curriculum used to prepare them for end of grade testing. And that’s certainly part of what they do, but as Doc Meek of DocMeek.com notes they often do much more than that. He wrote in to share why he loves teaching and said it’s because the work gives him “the potential of helping students thrive long-term.” And really, isn’t that exactly what our teachers do? Whether they’re teaching physics or history or a broader life lesson on avoiding drugs or developing conflict resolution skills, our teachers impact their students’ lives long after they leave the classroom.
Teachers help students find their voice
Teachers are in a unique position to guide students as they grow and learn. And Vanessa Lasdon of Word-Ink.net reminds us that students aren’t just learning about the subjects being taught to them, they’re also learning about themselves.
“While there are countless rewarding aspects to teaching–not the least of which is the incredible education I receive in return each day–above all as an English teacher, I love encouraging my students to find their voice and share it with the world,” says Lasdon. “Learning—like writing—starts with great daring.”
Teachers get to teach students new things
If you’ve never seen a child grasp a new concept for the first time, you’re missing out. Teachers show children the world, opening doors for them that were previously closed. For Jennifer Greenleaf of JenniferGreenleaf.com, opening those doors is one of the things she loves most about her profession.
“The most rewarding aspect of teaching is watching the children around me during their most transformative years learning new skills and applying them,” says Greenleaf. “It’s exciting because, under most circumstances, they’re enjoying what they’re doing and it’s fun coming back to encourage the lessons to continue.”
Teachers help students develop a passion for learning
Learning shouldn’t stop when you graduate from high school (or even college, for that matter!). Learning should be a lifelong practice, and as Amy Loring of TwoTeachersontheEdge.com notes, teachers are central to helping students develop that appetite.
“To reach every student by connecting and encouraging them daily should be an educator’s goal,” says Loring. “Teaching is not just standing in front of the class spewing information and lecturing, it is to inspire the desire to want to learn and discover even more. Inspiring the love of learning and finding the hidden gifts of each of your students is life altering for both the student and for the teacher. When you show a child what they can be, you really are changing the world. This passion must show, this love of the child and learning has to be your daily purpose.”
As you can see, teachers are asked to do a lot. But through their interactions with students, they get a lot in return. If you’re considering education for your profession, rest assured that there are students out there who need you.
- Thanks to Erica Francis of ReadyJob.org for this great guest article!
- Doc Meek, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada, the 17th of Ireland, 2017 :O)
Posted in learning | 
Tags: docmeek, docmeek.com, Erica Francis, learning, ReadyJob, ReadyJob.org, teaching, teaching profession | 
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“Teaching can get in the way of learning.” – Doc Meek
Saturday, October 27, 2012: Today I am grateful for those who jog our minds about how we learn (and teach)! – Doc Meek
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Text below was posted in: TENNESSEE TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER BLOG on June 13, 2012.
What Works in Student Learning, and
What Gets in the Way – Teaching –
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle reviewed a recent conference on student learning, sponsored by the Teagle Foundation, What Works in Student Learning, and What Gets in the Way – Teaching – The Chronicle of Higher Education. Attendants considered the state of student learning in higher education.
Among their suggestions: Students should be active in constructing their own learning, and activities should stimulate not just their intellects but their emotions.
As often happens, the comments are as interesting as the article. Among the comments are questions serving students with disabilities as well as a bit of debate about “learning” versus “teaching.” A large amount of comments point out that what was said at the conference has been well-established and said before.
This is true. However, we who are currently teaching in higher education are at different stages–and with different training to support our skills at teaching. New assistant professors may or may not have had graduate training in teaching and learning theories and in pedagogical practice. There is some interesting research (and hopefully there will be more) that shows the more professors know teaching and learning principles and understand student learning, the more successful they are at evaluating and improving their courses (Milton & Lyons, 2003).
For new professors, the amount of teacher preparation is changing as more universities establish graduate teaching certification programs. These programs allow those students who are not in departments that traditionally provide a lot of support (graduate students in Language and English programs, for instance, teach a lot and usually are provided with a lot of training by their home departments). For others, though, they may start their first job with no training or experience in teaching! For the rest of us, most midsize and large institutions have teaching and learning centers to provide ongoing support.
We in academia are slow to change (are you shocked by this statement?) We honor traditions, yet the traditional lecture is slowly being replaced by “active lecturing” in which students get involved or by active learning in the classroom, in which the lecture is minimized or moved out of the in-class session entirely (as in the flipped classroom). This movement to change our pedagogical practice is slow but follows decades of research on promoting student learning, as the conference participants noted.
Finally, our students have changed (again, not a shock to point this out). They have changed in response to our culture and cultural priorities, our uses of technology, our economy, and other changes in the West (I want to be careful to distinguish between a U.S. university and those in developing countries).
Much of our professional lives have remained the same–we balance research and teaching and service, in proportions dependent on our type of school. For some of us, our teaching in and of itself has not changed. However, job security has lessened, demands on our time have increased, student expectations have changed, and public expectations have increased. However we address these issues, we must remind our stakeholders that we are teaching always the new generation. What will our culture do to support our mission in higher ed?
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Thank you, TENNESSEE TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, for teaching us how to teach better!
Doc Meek, Sat, Oct 27, 2012, Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA
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“What if you are smarter than you think?”
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