Welcome to the wannabeteacher Blog!

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This is a space brimming with resources for anyone interested in becoming a teacher. So glad to have you here!

Why do we become teachers?

Clearly, the massive salary and stock options are the central draw. Is it because we love children? Is it because we love our subject matter? Is it because we got a bachelor’s degree in History and can’t get a job doing anything else? What about those teachers who say their favorite three things about teaching are June, July, and August?

No, surely we became (or will become) teachers for all the right reasons and because of that we are good teachers…even great teachers…maybe…hopefully. We hope to make our mark on the next generation. We yearn to imbue knowledge on the fertile minds of America’s youth. We long to make it through the day without suffering a nervous breakdown.  

Teaching is not an easy career.

Educators don’t often get the respect they deserve in the classroom or in the community and the profession is painfully underpaid. On the whole, though, the perception of teaching as a profession seems to be changing for the better. American society seems to be just beginning to acknowledge that without quality education (and quality educators) we will not have a quality workforce in the future. As millennials begin ushering their own children on to school busses the critical need for passionate and knowledgeable individuals in our nation’s schools is hitting home for them.

“Outsiders” who look upon teachers as those lucky dogs who get a week off at Christmas and Easter as well as a summer vacation don’t realize the amount of teaching that isn’t teaching at all. It’s planning. It’s done before school and after school. It’s done on weekends and during vacations. A good 50% of being a teacher is planning. People think teachers magically walk into the classroom and the handouts have already been created and copied and innovative lessons just appear out of thin air. Not true. We spend lifetimes becoming experts on our material, creating learning plans, reflecting on our lessons, grading papers, etc., into infinity.

So given the long hours, the emotional stress, and the small paycheck is teaching right for you?

Do you think more about the children’s smiles, the milestones reached, and really making a difference than you do the number of zeros on the check you receive each month? Are you determined that your dedication will directly correlate with success in your classroom? Do you believe you can truly change a child’s life for the better? Do you believe that you can positively impact society as a whole by nurturing young minds into caring, productive citizens of their communities and the world? #SchoolsNeedYou #WeNeedYou