Throughout all my field experiences, I truly see myself at
the high school (maybe middle school) level teaching English or history. I find
English and history the most interesting; therefore, I believe I would be able
to teach them the best. I picture myself at the high school level because I
would be able to have intellectual, logical conversation with my students
(hopefully).
However, through these observations I have found that age does not
always mean maturity. I witnessed a kindergarten class that was far more well
behaved than a 7th grade class. I also engaged with fifth grade students
who were far more talkative and open with me than an English class of freshman
students.
A reoccurring theme teachers demonstrated was how rewarding
teaching is, and also how difficult it can be. I watched power struggles between
teachers and their students. I viewed students constantly putting their heads
down and on their phones. I observed one teacher who was stressed to the max
and snapped at her students. I heard teachers talking about how difficult it is
to work with parents and the administration. And I received countless “hopeful”
smiles and head nods when I said I wanted to teach – which kind of came off as
a sarcastic “good luck”.
But I also witnessed students who admired their teachers,
and vice versa. I saw students who truly grasped concepts, and were really
becoming educated. I heard classrooms filled with laughter, enjoyment, and
comfort. I experienced students who really wanted to impress their teachers and
be involved in their school.
Basically, the positives I saw outweighed the negatives, and I still plan to go into the field of education.