Vera Teschow.ca
  • Home
  • About
    • Overview
    • Education & Diplomas
    • Consulting & PR
    • Teaching Experience
    • Workshop Facilitation
    • Volunteer Experience
    • Extra-Curricular Leadership
    • Writing
  • Learn
  • BLOG
  • Contact

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

12/14/2010

0 Comments

 
It's a question I have been comtemplating for the past several months, as I consider what to do next year (and the year after that, etc., etc.)  You see, I've had the incredible privilege of teaching pre-service teacher education at a University this year.  Most of my days involve mental stimulation with other intelligent adults, no recess duty, no counting pizza money and lots of excitement and interaction with new teachers as they launch into the profession. 

But soon is coming a time when
 I must decide if I am to continue in this place, or if I am being called back to a classroom.

I miss the classroom.  It doesn't come with the fancy title of "professor".  But it comes with bright-eyed children, delighted in the simplest things, and tired, sad children, who also can get excited and sometimes smile, if you can only get them to see how meaningful the world is, and how much they are loved.  The classroom comes with lots of prepping and planning and re-planning and assemblies and indoor recess and stress and irate parents and demanding administrators and paperwork out the wazoo and report card boxes too small to write a significant comment in, and, and and... but it also comes with a grade 7 student who beathes a sigh of relief when she realises you've forgiven her for the temper tantrum she threw yesterday.  It comes with the inner glow when one of your student teachers realises you practise what you preach.  It comes with a parent saying thank you for "getting" my grade one boy, and not making him write reams of paper when he needs to learn actively.  

Today I found out that someone I consider very intelligent indeed is a statistic I fight against.  I found out that someone I respect a great deal dropped out of high school many years ago.  And although this person "made it" okay, I know that is likely due to this person's family and personal circumstances.  I know many, many kids are not so lucky when they finally drop out.  And I also know that high school drop outs are made in elementary school, even if they don't actively drop out until much later.  And... I know that I have made a difference for some of those elementary school kids.  I know this because I am old enough now to have recieved emails from a few formers students, who had some rough times throughout their high school careers, but who--in part because of me and colleagues like me who believed in them and taught them as they needed to learn -- stuck it out and graduated.

When I was teaching intermediate some years ago, I got a letter from a student on the last day.  It was tearful and heartfelt.  The words cut into my soul, I could feel this student's pain as she professed her appreciation of the year she had had in my classroom.

I don't know if I can make that kind of a personal difference at the University.

This summer, at the end of one of the courses I teach at the University, I got a letter from one of my student teachers.  It was lovely.  She said I am "made to be a teacher".  I smiled, and I cried.  I stuck her letter on the bulletin board in my office. 

If I am made to be a teacher, then how can I be a professor?
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    About Vera...

    Vera & her Sons, April 2021
    After writing for several teacher and multiple birth publications, including ETFO's Voice Magazine, Multiple Moments, and the Bulletwin, Vera turned her written attention to prolific blogging for some years, including BiB,  "Learn to Fly with Vera!"  and SMARTbansho .  Homeschooling 4 was her travel blog in Argentina.  She now spends more time on her Instagram (@schalgzeug_usw)  than her blog (pictures are worth a thousand words?!) 
    DISCLAIMER
    The views expressed on this blog are the views of the author, and do not necessarily represent the perspectives of her family members or the position of her employer on the the issues she blogs about.  These posts are intended to share resources, document family life, and encourage critical thought on a variety of subjects.  They are not intended to cause harm to any individual or member of any group. By reading this blog and viewing this site, you agree to not hold Vera liable for any harm done by views expressed in this blog.
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Argentina 2013
    COVID 19
    COVID-19
    Cycling
    Family
    Flying
    Geocaching
    Honduras 2011
    Lakeshore
    Lgbtq
    Math Eyes
    Music
    Other Stuff
    Prince Edward Island
    Teaching And Learning
    Teaching-and-learning
    Travel

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    March 2022
    January 2021
    September 2020
    August 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010

Vera C. Teschow, OCT, M.Ed., MOT
Toronto, ON & St Peter's Harbour, PE
www.verateschow.ca 2021
Photos used under Creative Commons from Sean MacEntee, Studio Paars, Bengt Nyman, zeevveez, GoodNCrazy, CJS*64, Accretion Disc, CharlesLam, Courtney Dirks, CJS*64 "Man with a camera", Accretion Disc, Bobolink, Ian Muttoo, BioDivLibrary, Alaskan Dude, IsabelleAcatauassu, runran, Transformer18, jglsongs, Create For Animal Rights, david_shankbone, Paul J Coles, foilman, Newport Geographic, Photo Everywhere, kevin dooley, Claudio , Alex Guibord, Tscherno, f_mafra, Terry Madeley, musee de l'horlogerie, BobMacInnes, wwarby, jonathangarcia, amboo who?, chimothy27, Elin B, cliff1066™, Grzegorz Łobiński, Rennett Stowe, Farhill, Phil Manker, Guitarfool5931, airguy1988, dierk schaefer, Rob Stemple, katerha, StockMonkeys.com, Ramotionblog, andrewk3715, charlywkarl, AJC1, rachel_titiriga