A Dedication

I am in no conceivable way qualified to give advice to a person about their future, especially considering that my own future is entirely cloudy with a chance of good karma. I know that there are many people that are heading into the education field, and perhaps now more than ever we’re experiencing some difficulty with the education system. We acknowledge a need for reform and can’t afford it, need to hire teachers who are familiar with potentially new ways of dealing with school issues but can’t afford to hire additional staff. For those who are choosing their place in life as a teacher or other school official, I would recommend an attitude of steadfastness. The time will eventually come when your services will be needed, and your patience, determination, and ability to wait until you are needed most will be rewarded if it all plays out the right way. I can’t think of additional advice to give, mostly because I myself am not pursuing a career in this field and cannot think of what training to become a teacher or the process of being placed as a staff member entails.

I think we all have an idea of an “ideal teacher”. Most of us imagine a man or woman who is relatively nice, able to ebb and flow with the days that life gives them and capable of creating lessons that both inform and create some entertainment value. I don’t believe in the image of an “ideal teacher”. The word “ideal” implies that there is only one correct answer, which is hardly the case. Anything that can be described with “ideal” or “perfect” indicates a subjective matter that will be different depending on the person. For that reason, the mere idea of “the ideal teacher” is trivial and impossible.

Now, one might wonder the reasoning behind the sudden interest in teachers. Perhaps I know a friend who has a cousin whose uncle twice removed roomed with a guy who was interested in the education field, or maybe I lied to you before and am secretly thinking about changing my major from Pharmaceutical Science to Education. Both of these ideas are incorrect.  I recently had the pleasure of meeting a wonderful young woman who filled the role of Student Teacher in my A.P. Literature and Online Publishing courses. Though I only see her a few times a week, we shared a handful of conversations that made me smile. After all, intelligent conversation generally makes me feel a little more hopeful about the fate of humanity. Miss Chryzanowski, though I knew you for only a short period of time, you will be missed in the halls of Alden High School. Good luck with your future endeavors, and may you find happiness in the vast majority of what you do.