The emperor of Thief River Falls, Kurt the Great, envies prospective teachers' idealism. I envy them the careers they have in front of them, if they so choose. Idealism can be refreshed, regardless of age; youth can't.
I have often believed that new teachers can do better work than the very practiced teachers working just next door. The most important quality associated with teacher success is enthusiasm. Newbies have got it, and many are also scared enough to stay alert. Teaching is very hard work, so hard that people starting haven't realized that the work will kill them if they don't moderate their daily dose. Those who survive learn to protect themselves from working to the point of breaking their health.
That starts the scarring. The realization that even the greatest personal investment of energy possible will be swallowed by the job and the job will still be there, offering a place to invest still more, makes young people realize they are not immortal. The profession is greater than they are, the students needier than they can satisfy. After reaching that realization, teachers can never again come to the work with the untested sense of invincibility they carry to the first day of the first job.
They get better in many or most ways, but they get better as seasoned campaigners in for the long haul. The startled spontaneity of the early career, with its many mistakes and startlingly unexpected successes, yields to the more predictable, steady success of the thinking professional. That has its reassurances, but rarely does it mean the startled delight of the excited teacher in early career.
That's why I envy the young teacher, especially the one who hasn't even started yet. What pleasure they will have early, and then what balanced professional excellence they can strive for later.
I have often believed that new teachers can do better work than the very practiced teachers working just next door. The most important quality associated with teacher success is enthusiasm. Newbies have got it, and many are also scared enough to stay alert. Teaching is very hard work, so hard that people starting haven't realized that the work will kill them if they don't moderate their daily dose. Those who survive learn to protect themselves from working to the point of breaking their health.
That starts the scarring. The realization that even the greatest personal investment of energy possible will be swallowed by the job and the job will still be there, offering a place to invest still more, makes young people realize they are not immortal. The profession is greater than they are, the students needier than they can satisfy. After reaching that realization, teachers can never again come to the work with the untested sense of invincibility they carry to the first day of the first job.
They get better in many or most ways, but they get better as seasoned campaigners in for the long haul. The startled spontaneity of the early career, with its many mistakes and startlingly unexpected successes, yields to the more predictable, steady success of the thinking professional. That has its reassurances, but rarely does it mean the startled delight of the excited teacher in early career.
That's why I envy the young teacher, especially the one who hasn't even started yet. What pleasure they will have early, and then what balanced professional excellence they can strive for later.
2 Comments:
Predictable? In college or university, perhaps, but I can't imagine children allowing predictability! But, then again, it's just my opinion...
Awkward silence asks about "scarring." Perhaps I should have used cysts rather than scars as the metaphor. I meant that we build hard places around the hurts. We teachers still want to do everything for all students; we harden ourselves to the reality that we can't.
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