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Why You Should Consider a Career in Teaching

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by Vishaal Kuruvanka
August 26th, 2022

Teaching, like most professions, is a mix of logic, art and communication. Teachers are responsible for setting the framework that one sees life through. This enormous task has been a part of human culture for centuries. The passing down of knowledge on the physical world, culture, language and other aspects of our society, educates the newer generation so that they can build upon what is already known. Human society has needed teachers for most of its existence to ensure that their race survives and continues to grow for centuries to come. 

Although my time as a teacher was relatively brief and most likely unsuccessful, it opened up a facet of myself that I did not know existed before. Imparting the mathematical knowledge and wisdom that I had acquired over the course of 22 years was difficult because I was not well versed in effectively distilling my knowledge and communicating it to others. It was also not like I had all day, every day to give this information to my students. I only had an hour a day with my students for approximately 180 days.

 To teach any subject, one must have tremendous insight into the subject material, a deep understanding of what type of person you are (strengths and weaknesses) and most importantly, leadership. Perhaps the most important thing that our teachers do, is to lead our students not only through an intellectual course but down a path that can teach them to harness their innate skills to build a fulfilling life.

Throughout my time teaching, I have seen the tireless effort that teachers put in everyday to benefit their students. I have also seen the versatility and adaptability that these incredible individuals possess who work themselves to the bone trying to give students the best form of education. When the COVID -19 pandemic hit, schools transitioned to a virtual setting and these teachers worked around the clock to adapt to a virtual environment. They cared not only about the wellbeing of our students but continued to be deeply invested in their academic success. This section will explore what it is like to teach, why we need more teachers and the impact that teachers make on society. This portion of the text will also draw on what it means to be a teacher, what one learns from being a teacher, how we can collectively help reshape what it means to be a teacher in the US.

My goal is to entice more people to look into the system and engage with its old ineffective structures. This activity itself will change our system by means of natural action. If people understand the blight of the teaching profession in our country, it is my hope that they move to act swiftly to avoid stagnation as a country. Education is and always has been the means to improvement and we must continue to build upon the system that we already have if we wish to lead the world. Reform is very much needed to make sure that America can thrive for the next century and remain as the beacon of freedom, democracy, and opportunity for all. 

 

To summarize what it means to teach, I believe a simple metaphor will suffice to relay the job. 

 

Imagine serving as a leader on a treacherous journey, going up a hill through which you have already been but it has been some time since you have climbed it. You know where the traps are, how the road winds and what parts not to venture into. Since you have this knowledge, you are tasked to bring the 125 other people who stood where you stood not too long ago to the top. Additionally you need to make sure that if they were asked to lead someone else up the hill, they could. It will require you to think through the journey and focus on the most important and significant parts of the journey. Leading them on this journey will be like none you have ever taken and it will require you to look into the depth of your character and build upon both your strengths and weaknesses. You will learn just as much as you teach. Once at the top you will all go your separate ways but they will use what you have taught them as they go on to develop their own lives and remember fondly of the lessons you taught them. This exciting exercise of your leadership will transform your perception of yourself and you will temper a set of skills that can be applied in whatever field the future affords you. 

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