I have been asked why I chose education as my career because according to some of the people around me, it's not a well respected job because parents don't respect teachers and students don't either. I also get "well those students are just going to love you aren't they?" I have been slightly peeved about this comment. When I first accepted the job in Blackfoot people would say, "well at least it isn't high school because the boys would be all over you." I would laugh and shrug it off, but now that I am officially teaching at Pocatello High School the hot for teacher comments have become the center of my career. I understand that I am 24 and an attractive person. What kills me is that the people making these comments to me are close to me, I feel disrespected. How can you think so low of me that my students are going to just see me as a piece of ass, and not respect me because I am attractive. Do you not think I am capable of shutting that kind of behavior down if it does happen? Why do you think I'd be that teacher to sleep with my students? These are the questions that float through my mind when nasty comments come flying out of peoples mouths when I tell them I am a high school teacher.
I know I shouldn't be allowing these comments to get at me, and for the most part the comments aren't what bother me. It's the people that are making these comments that bother me. I am confident in my ability as an educator, I know what I've just stepped into and if I didn't I wouldn't have chose this career. I have known for a long time that this is what I wanted to do, and now the door has opened and I will be walking into the high school that I graduated from and teaching the future generation of Poky graduates.
I have officially been assigned 9th grade English. I am one of 3 9th grade teachers in the department, and I have my master teacher, Mrs. Holzer, guiding me through. I am so fortunate to be able to teach in the school that inspired me to become a teacher and continue on with my education. I am going in today to get my classroom and my books! I am over the moon and will have a classroom tour as it get closer to the school year. Can you believe that in a little over a month I will be in my classroom every day!? How crazy! I am so excited!
I decided to become a teacher for a few reasons: one, when I was at Poky I felt at home. I had a rough home life and so school was my escape. The teachers I had were amazing and helped me through my senior year as I was living by myself with no parental support. The staff became my support and pushed me to finish and continue on. Second, Mrs. Holzer inspired me to become an educator. I learned more in her classes than I ever did in others. She is so passionate, maybe a little crazy sometimes, but she pushed her students to their absolute best! That is what I want to do. I want to make a difference in my students lives so that when they walk out of my classroom they will be grateful that they took that class from me. I didn't become a teacher to be that "hot teacher" that all the students want to have despite what people seem to think. I became and educator because it is the most valuable and most rewarding job there is, in my opinion.
So here is to my first year as an educator in the school that pushed me to succeed!
xoxo
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