Angi Anderson, a member of the February 2010 Cohort shares her appreciation and describes what it means to be a teacher! What does it mean to you to be a teacher? Comment and let us know!
What does it mean to be a teacher?
Teachers are willing to do the same things, day in and day out. They start school at the same time and end school at the same time. They hurry to take a restroom break at the same time each day. They strive for calm in the face of the same frustrated or rambunctious students. They keep trying to figure out how to reach those who are not reached, and interest those who are not interested. They hold dear the small moments of triumph, and work to encourage those who struggle daily with the tasks their classmates complete with ease. They laugh at the same jokes and read the same stories, day in and day out. They teach the alphabet, the state capitals, the Civil War, every year.
What does it mean to be a teacher?
It seems to me that teachers care, sometimes until they can care no more. That point usually arrives around June, just in time for a short break from the rigor of lesson plans, classroom management, state standards, and staff room coffee. A break from tugs on the sleeve, hands waving in the air, fingers stained with marker. A break from the smiles of understanding, the excitement of learning about a bossy “e” and the creativity with which their students make new knowledge their own.
What does it mean to be a teacher?
It means missing your students by August, anticipating a new year and putting up all of the Back to School bulletin boards. It means new pencils and name tags. It means construction paper and fresh boxes of crayons. Being a teacher means a fresh start every year, where both teacher and student have another chance to be the best they can be. Where everybody gets a chance to be the person they want to be, not the person they were last year. Being a teacher means wanting to do it all over again, caring for a new class of students who are yet unknown.
I thank all of those teachers who, through the MAT@USC program, have supported us by teaching the teachers, by scaffolding a good objective until we could make one on our own, who read our endless papers and watch our videos. I thank the classroom teachers who step aside so we can teach, ceding the classroom to us. And I thank all of my fellow students, whose insights, hard work and cleverness make me proud and so lucky to be among them. Happy Teacher’s Week!
Editor’s Note [If you'd like to know how to become a teacher in California and make a difference in your local community, contact our Admissions office at 888.MAT.1USC or email us at matadmit@usc.edu]
