Its been almost seven years since I became a teacher. It was more a circumstantial incident than an intentional one, because I had never planned or hoped to be a teacher in my life. If I am to be honest, I have not enjoyed the journey and nor do I think that I ever will. There are a lot of things that the education system as a whole can fix in order to make teachers feel like their roles are worth it; but that’s a whole other discussion. On a personal level, I find it extremely draining and often frustrating to align my rather productivity loving personality with the principles of teaching, which demand a great deal of patience and genuine love towards those who don’t see our value. Its certainly not a cakewalk.
I’ve had some great teachers in my lifetime. I respect them for their roles in my life and in shaping my personality today. I am still in touch with most of them and often express my love for them in creative ways. Perhaps they have instilled an image of a ‘perfect teacher’ in me that I struggle to live up to. I know that they have done incredible sacrifices, remained patient and housed a mammoth load of love towards the art of teaching and giving; to be remembered as great teachers. Only such teachers make a mark on the lives of their students and provide justice to their profession. I’m afraid my cache of love and patience towards brats that don’t display even an ounce of intent towards learning is dangerously limited, and I have been pushing myself for seven years to not lose my calm.
Especially with Gen-Z students entering the system, it feels like education is more a marketing field than academic. I have to sell myself to keep these students entertained because otherwise they’ll not bother to do what’s good for them. I have to push myself to keep pushing them to perform, for they don’t see the value of skills or creativity or discipline. Every passing day, I enjoy it less and less that teachers are forced to build something worthwhile in the education system while every other element of the system is working against them, including parents of students.
Don’t get me wrong; there are good things too. For example, the social life that a teacher has is unparalleled in perhaps any other profession in the world and that’s the number one reason I’ve stayed at this job. For an extrovert like me, the social life has been rewarding enough to stay in the job despite its frustrating downside. However, I do not know how much longer I can keep pushing. Teachers barely have a voice in the system and much less so any advocative friends. Its draining and we cannot decide if its worth it anymore.
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