Through the Eyes of New Teachers
John Heim
Thursday, August 9, 2007
It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.
— Albert Einstein
THE START of a new school year is a wonderful time for educators. While it takes a lot of planning and hard work, we enjoy preparing for students to return to the classroom. The excitement of the students and staff on the first day of school is unmatched throughout the rest of year.
Teaching is a challenging and rewarding profession. Our school district has high expectations for our teachers, and they seldom disappoint us.
Last week, I had the opportunity to spend a couple of hours with 50 new teachers who are eager to begin their year with the Emporia Public Schools. Many of them are first-year teachers, but several are coming to Emporia from other districts and other states. All have one thing in common — they can remember a teacher who made a positive difference in their life.
Several told stories about teachers who motivated them to work harder in school; others talked about teachers who helped them through difficult times in their personal lives. None of the stories had anything to do with a teacher’s expertise in a certain academic area. The common thread in their stories was a teacher’s ability to form positive relationships with students. The stories were about teachers who cared about their students.
I know from experience as a student, a teacher, an administrator and a parent that teachers cannot be effective if they don’t care about children. We can’t pretend that we care because the kids always know. I believe this is the essential core of good teaching.
Public schools bring together children from all types of economic, cultural and educational backgrounds. These children come to us with a wide range of academic and intellectual abilities and our job is to light the spark that propels their learning to the next level.
I asked our new teachers what motivated them to become educators. One young woman said she does it because she wants to see the “aha” moment when a child gets it. Those are magical moments for a teacher and that is what keeps us going in education.
Teachers don’t enter the education profession to make a lot of money or to receive glory and recognition. They do it to make a difference. Sometimes they don’t know that they’ve made a difference until years later when a former student returns to tell them.
Make a difference — that is my wish for this group of new teachers. Happy new year!