Why I Would Be a Teacher

Running head: WHY I WOULD BE A TEACHER

Why I Would Be a Teacher
Diana C. Worley
Grand Canyon University: EDU 310 (0206)
December 19, 2010

Why I Would Be a Teacher Teaching is a dignified, desirable, and demanding occupation. It is a profession which requires knowledge, patience, understanding, and a growing desire to help others. Unfortunately, it is most often under paid, underappreciated, and undervalued by numerous standards. So why does the writer of this paper want to teach? Was it a calling or is it just a vocation? This paper will touch on the extrinsic and intrinsic awards, the impact of teaching on the community, and family, the commitment of teachers to their students and teachers as role models. There are many different reasons why people choose to teach. Teaching, like nursing, is a service occupation. To be more precise, teaching is a vocation. Built into teaching is the idea of contributing to the lives of others and for many people the root of their decision to teach is deeper than their love of the subject matter or their attraction to the life of a teacher. Many choose a career in teaching for reasons that are at heart, religious, or humanitarian. These people are called to the profession. The desire to teach began early in the life of the writer and blossomed into a calling as the writer got older. Many people come into the profession for the extrinsic rewards, but then discover their true calling to teach once they are actually working with the students and realize the intrinsic rewards. There are two categories of occupational rewards which help to sort out the attractive and unattractive career qualities of teaching. The extrinsic rewards are the public, tangible benefits such as salary, prestige, and power. The intrinsic rewards are the internal, emotional, and spiritual satisfactions one receives such as a personal sense of accomplishment, or an enjoyment of the work itself. Ellis (1984) concludes that “of the two, intrinsic rewards play a greater role in teacher motivation and job satisfaction.” When teachers are motivated and love their jobs, they are more likely to be better involved in the community where they work and live. Community involvement for teachers can range from organizing a school function to volunteering outside of the school in the community. Teachers can make an impact to their community by working and making their presence known. In doing this they are showing how much they care about their students, are putting themselves out there for additional parent contact and support, and provide guidance to the children and parents alike. By getting involved they show they care about the place they live and work and the people who live and work there. An intense desire to give back to the community is compelling for teachers. Teachers strive to instill the importance of intellectual knowledge into their students and teach them the skills needed to be model citizens by being role models in the community and classroom. Teachers should respect the profession as it is one of the greatest professions in the world. Teachers should be role models, set a standard and pace for the students to learn because they deserve nothing less. (Niece, 2010) Teachers spend time, mentoring, preparing, and developing students today for future leadership roles. If they are able to recognize the work done today will reap the rewards of students continuing their education to become teacher, nurses, doctors, and others tomorrow. It is through the hard work, determination, and patience of teachers that aide in building the strong minds for tomorrow. Teachers teach because of their desire and passion to build a better future. The yearning to teach comes from the inclination to give, contribute and make a difference in the hearts and minds of children. Teachers hold an unparalleled power over their students. Teaching touches lives and that’s why teachers teach. They realize they when a difference has been made at the end of the day, they can rest assured of having done their part to make the world a better place. This is the primary reason behind why teachers teach. At least, that was the reason which inspired the writer to pursue teaching as a career.
References
Ellis, T.I. (1984). “Motivating Teachers for Excellence. ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational

Management: ERIC Digest, Number 6.” ERIC Document Reproduction Service, No

ED259449
Latham, A. S. (1998). Teacher satisfaction. Educational Leadership, 55(5), 82. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Niece, R. D. (2010). A teacher’s creed. Education Digest, 75(6), 7-9. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

References: Ellis, T.I. (1984). “Motivating Teachers for Excellence. ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management: ERIC Digest, Number 6.” ERIC Document Reproduction Service, No ED259449 Latham, A. S. (1998). Teacher satisfaction. Educational Leadership, 55(5), 82. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Niece, R. D. (2010). A teacher’s creed. Education Digest, 75(6), 7-9. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.