So often I feel that I have fallen into the path of becoming a teacher by accident. After reading the article for class, I sat down and thought about what I had just read. Most of what was mentioned in the article really reminded me of the path I have taken. I have had a few differences, but have you ever thought of yourself as wanting to become a teacher by accident?
For many years, just like the man in the article, I was fully against becoming a teacher. I sat through school for 13 years, and I surely was not going to choose to be getting up at that hour to go back to school as a teacher. I went to a 4 year college and majored in animal biology with zoology with the intention of pursuing veterinarian school. After my four years of undergraduate school, I applied to veterinarian school and was accepted to St. George’s University School of Veterinarian Medicine. Little did I know that life had a different path for me. It was going to be $250,000 for the first three years, and I did not have that kind of money. So I applied to all sorts of jobs, many of which consisted of resident life at colleges, vet hospitals, and zoos and aquariums. After working at a nursing home, a veterinarian hospital, a wholesale stuffed animal and gift company, and lots of other odd jobs, I decided I wanted to go back to school. I had been told by many jobs that getting my teacher certificate could really increase my chances of landing a job in the education department in the zoos and aquariums. Little did I know that after starting my student teaching, I would really like being in a classroom. I would still like to do the education programs in a zoo or aquarium, but I feel like my whole journey has been a way to make me an accidental teacher.
I am sure that just like the man in the article, I will have teaching jobs that are great learning experiences, but are just not a right fit for me, or jobs that are great. Either way, I feel like it is a way of fitting into a job. I am a firm believer that a lot of times it’s the people you work with that make or break a job. I have really enjoyed my student teaching experience, and the school district that I am in. Have you? Have you felt like you are also an accidental teacher and that the path(s) you have taken to get to where you are right now just kind of fell into place?
I am definitely an accidental teacher! I have had a hard time connecting "past life" as an event planner and special event manager to my aspiration of becoming an English teacher and this article helped me (and my cover letter). :) All of my past experiences have helped me reach this point...volunteering at the library as a kid to being a camp counselor to being a safety training manager are the pieces of the puzzle I needed before I would be ready to start this teaching path. My 22-year-old self would never have made it as a teacher, but my 30-year-old self is ready for this and I truly feel like I am right where I need to be. I would have never gotten here without all of the steps in between. I have never felt so rewarded or inspired by anything I have done professionally as I feel when I see my students "get it". My student teaching experience is making every late night of studying after work, every 3 hour class after work, and spending my day off in Saturday classes worth it.
ReplyDeletePeople in my life new that I was eventually going to become a teacher. I on the other hand had no real path in life. I didn't have a plan. However after college I realized that I wasn't suited for anything else other than to be in the classroom. I enjoyed being a student and I think I have learned what it takes to be a teacher now that I am student teaching. I am excited about my career being challenging and constantly evolving as the years go by. Now that I am in the thick of it I am even more confident in my career.
ReplyDeleteI do not consider myself an accidental teacher but I am however a believer that it's the people you work with that make or break a job. Through the many schools in which I’ve had field experience. I have had both negative and positive experiences. These experiences have taught me what kind of environment I prefer to work in and will excel in. Although I have always wanted to become a teacher, I have always envisioned myself teaching elementary school as I was always completely terrified of dealing with older kids. Being a secondary education major and teaching at a middle school was something that just fell into place and felt right. It went against what I’ve always thought I wanted and what people told me I should do.
ReplyDeleteI thought math teachers in my country were mean and I never thought i would be a math teacher. But with the relocation I build up my math knowledge confidence and and started to tutor some people who recommended i would make an excellent math teacher. I took their advice and let the time show. And I definitely agree that who you work with is really important.
ReplyDeleteMany times, and especially recently, I have thought about teaching and considered if it is the best fit for me. Although I always find myself coming to the conclusion that I really do love the path I am headed down and it is not one I came across accidentally, I do often consider if it is something I can make a career out of. I have had many teachers throughout my life that have been at the same school for thirty plus years. This, in all honesty, is a very scary thing to me and this is something that always gets me thinking. As long as I can be creative and allow myself to grow and be creative with whatever career in education I have I will be satisfied.
ReplyDeleteI too resisted this career choice for most of my twenties, ignoring the urging of my parents to get into teaching. I found myself in jobs that were administrative, mundane, and unchallenging. When I took a risk and ventured into substitute teaching I found that I was in my element and with the ongoing challenge of the classroom and student interactions which were often challenging themselves. I enjoy working with students, finding common ground to discover new ways of relaying information to even the most challenging personalities, often those that other teachers have given up on. As I go through my student teaching I am reassured that I am in the career that I am best suited for.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if you can call me an accidental teacher, but teaching was not my first choice as a career. I wanted to become a nurse since I was fascinated with medicine and wanted to help people in their time of need. While in the nursing program, however, I realized that nursing was not what i wanted to do after all. I wanted to make a difference in a person's life but I realized that i did not want to be responsible for making decisions that can impact whether a person lives or dies. My second passion in life was reading. I enjoyed all of my English classes. I did very well in each and every one of them. So I decided to change majors and concentrate on English. I thought that since I loved the subject so much, that I should teach it as well. Loving English and teaching it are two very different things. I have found it very challenging to teach the subject even though I have done so well in my previous courses. I know that I am learning and that I will get better at it as time progresses but sometimes, I feel a bit discouraged. There is just so much that I have to learn in order to become the great teacher that I aspire to be. All in all, I think I have made the right decision in becoming a teacher. Even though I still have a lot to learn, I enjoy the students and have fun trying to come up with new and creative ways to present lessons.
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