Teacher Academy
Exploring Teaching I
Grade
10
"The job of a teacher is to excite
in the young a boundless sense of curiosity about life, so that the growing
child shall come to apprehend it with an excitement tempered by awe and
wonder."
-John Garrett
Unit: Teaching as a Profession (1.1)
Key Question: Why do you want to become a
teacher?
Activity 1
Label this assignment 1.1, activity 1
(Lets call this KLL...Know, Learn, Learned)
Since you have been in school for a number of years, use the
chart below to jot down some of the things you know about the teaching
profession in the first column, some questions you have about the teaching
profession in the second column and at the end of this section you will
identify what you have learned and if your questions were
answered.
(You can copy and paste this into word, and print it out, or
find it in the form section of this website.)
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What you know |
What you want to learn |
What you have learned |
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Why do you want to teach?
- Desire to work with young people
People decide to teach for many reasons. Based on an national survey of more
than 1,300 teachers, most teachers say that they began teaching because they
wanted to work with young people.
In the United States there are more than 100 racial and ethnic groups.
Students with special needs are increasing in number. Classrooms are enriched by
the varied backgrounds of students.
2. Love of teaching
A survey, based on 1,011 public school teachers interviewed in 1995, teachers
agreed with the statement "I love to teach"
- Love of subject...most of us can remember the teacher that just loved what
they taught. (Can you think of a teacher like that?)
- Love of teaching life...some teachers love to be with students and share
life experiences (Can you think of a teacher that falls in this category?)
- Love of teaching-learning process...loving the act of teaching and the
process of learning (Does one of your favorite teachers fall here?)
3. Influence of teachers
Surveys show that most teachers decide to become educators very early in
life. Evidence suggests that those who became teachers were influenced by their
teachers as people, and not as subject-matter experts.
4. Desire to serve
Many people choose to teach because they want to serve others.
5. Practical Benefits of Teaching
- flexibility of schedules (great for families, as teachers can be home in
the afternoon with their children)
- vacation (summer and all holidays)
- salaries have increased over the last few years
- job security and status
- job opportunities for teachers from diverse groups (perhaps teachers from
diverse groups and teachers with disabilities may have an enhanced
understanding of student diversity and student variability and they can share
with other teachers.)
vocabulary
cost of living- the amount of money needed, on the average, for
housing, food, transportation, utilities and other living expenses in a given
locale.
moonlight-the practice of holding a second job in order to
increase ones income.
fringe benefits-benefits (i.e., medical insurance, retirement,
and tax-deferred investments opportunities) that are given to teachers in
addition to base salary.
tenure-job security granted to teachers after satisfactory
performance for a specified period, usually two to five years.
student variability-differences among students in regard to
their developmental needs, interests, abilities, and disabilities.
student diversity-differences among students in regard
to gender, race, ethnicity, culture and socioeconomic status.
Comparison of National Salaries
Salary
Scale for Broward County School Teacher
Activity 2
Label this assignment 1.1, activity 2
- Fold paper in half and list on one side some positive
characteristics and on the other side some negative characteristics of
teachers.
- 2. Complete the "M13 Handout-Why Teach" that is below. You can cut
and paste into word, or just print it.
- After completing #2, do you think that you have what it takes to
become an educator? Why or why not?
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MI.3 Handout-Why Teach?
People go into the teaching profession for many different reasons. Looking at
the possible reasons listed below, could you tell us if , for you, they are (1)
very important, (2) somewhat important, (3) not too important, or (4) not
important at all.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
NA |
Enjoy working with children |
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Job stability |
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Important and honorable work |
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Daily/yearly schedule that gives me time for myself |
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Preferable to options in the business world |
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Gives me geographical flexibility |
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Good fringe benefits |
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Good Salary |
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Chance to work with people who share my goals |
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Doing something good for the community |
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