Last year when people asked me what is was like, I would tell them I was a glorified baby-sitter. The reaction was usually a nod of the head and "Mmm, I bet." This year I tell people it's my job to teach kids how to be good people. The reaction is still, "Mmm, I bet."
A lot of the misconceptions I hear are that people think that all of the kids are stupid. I let people know that I have a lot of really bright students. I let people know that it can be hard to see past some of the cultural differences, but underneath it all they are really good kids with good hearts. Sadly, a lot of misconceptions I feel like aren't misconceptions. When people ask what I think about the south, I tell them "It sucks" with a straight face. I don't understand this nostalgia some people have for the south, "Oh, there's so much pain, but when I drive through the delta, I just feel this connection. yadda yadda yadda." I don't feel any connection to the south. On the other hand I'm not as bad as my brother-in-law who said, "Ya know, I just don't think I could look at a cotton field. I just couldn't handle it." Lol, Come on Tim! Even though I have to admit, one time on a car ride home from Oxford some of the cohort were going on about how pretty the cotton was and I was just like "meh"... and I am a plant person!
It is not hard to justify my choice to become a teacher. Those who know me well see it as a good fit. The thing I have to justify the most is coming to Mississippi, which most people understand when I tell them about what a sweet deal MTC is.
A lot of the misconceptions I hear are that people think that all of the kids are stupid. I let people know that I have a lot of really bright students. I let people know that it can be hard to see past some of the cultural differences, but underneath it all they are really good kids with good hearts. Sadly, a lot of misconceptions I feel like aren't misconceptions. When people ask what I think about the south, I tell them "It sucks" with a straight face. I don't understand this nostalgia some people have for the south, "Oh, there's so much pain, but when I drive through the delta, I just feel this connection. yadda yadda yadda." I don't feel any connection to the south. On the other hand I'm not as bad as my brother-in-law who said, "Ya know, I just don't think I could look at a cotton field. I just couldn't handle it." Lol, Come on Tim! Even though I have to admit, one time on a car ride home from Oxford some of the cohort were going on about how pretty the cotton was and I was just like "meh"... and I am a plant person!
It is not hard to justify my choice to become a teacher. Those who know me well see it as a good fit. The thing I have to justify the most is coming to Mississippi, which most people understand when I tell them about what a sweet deal MTC is.