Tuesday, February 07, 2006

This is why I became a teacher...

"... the educator must work with whatever the youngster brings to the learning situation, but the educator must never stop believing that each child is capable of something wonderful and heroic and that he or she will never exhaust his or her possibilities."

- Robert J. Starratt
Centering Educational Administration: Cultivating meaning, community, responsibility.

This is the book I am currently reading in one of my courses. Even though my students are university age and have outgrown the label of "children" that quote sums up why I am a teacher.

It's the busiest week of the semester so far and I've just been reminded why I'm doing all this.

8 comments:

psbowe said...

Great quote! Bet you make one awesome instructor. I have great admiration for you teachers, thanks for all the teaching.

Unknown said...

Wonderful quote! That is why I want to become a teacher, but I often need reminding of it as well.

Bast said...

I feel inadequate. I am reading "Childfree and Loving It" and "Talk to the Hand." Well, at least I am reading again - remember how mong it took me to start again after the Ph.D.? Good on ya, for reading and for teaching!

ipodmomma said...

really nice... :)))

hang in there! in the thick of the action can come wonderful revelations...

Janice Seagraves said...

Hi Sarah,

Good teachers make learning easy and enjoyable. And it sounds like you are one of that number.

Janice~

Turtle Guy said...

Beautiful. It goes hand in hand with what I learned very shortly after high school. You should never stop learning ("he or she will never exhaust his or her possibilities.") Some people figure "learning" stops once you've finished school. I have had teachers whoes influence has stayed with me since and from that influence I've continued to learn and grow.

wthenrest said...

Thanks Sarah, I have been thinking the same thing in the past weeks. I need reminding too. I think I will post it on my fridge.
I guess I love it because I keep going back to it.

M A F said...

Sadly, while working in a "special day class" (normal kids with learning problems) I worked with a teacher to whom this statement, (belief) was not applicable.

I sought additional time to work with a 4th grader who wanted to get out of "special ed" and when I asked the teacher for a chance to work with the student I was rebuffed. The teacher's comment to me was that "It is not going to help. He [the student] will always be in 'special ed.'"