"Those who can, do...

...and those who can't, teach." I'm calling BS.

I'm watching a documentary called 'American Teacher', and it's making me do a lot of thinking.

Teachers have been an integral part of my life. And not just because they've been in and out of my life for the past thirteen years while I've completed my basic education. No. Let's just say that it's kind of a family business. I have two uncles and two aunts who are teachers. Another aunt has a degree in teaching. Not to mention that both of my parents are also teachers. My step-mom is even a teacher.

I heard a friend say once that she wanted to be a teacher because, in her mind, it was the only profession she had been around and had any sort of idea of how the career worked. At the time, it seemed assuming of her to say something like that...that, truthfully, she had no exposure to any sort of career during her schooling other than teaching.

Now I kind of see her point. I have not gone a single day in my life and not have had school--whether or not it was the school I attended--a part of my life. I went to my mom's school after school almost every day, even into high school. Living in a single-parent household, long hours were spent waiting for my mom to finish up with work. And she actually was never a teacher in my lifetime. In my mind, she's always been an administrator. And, still, she put in hours way beyond those asked of her. She had meetings that wouldn't end until five, six p.m., and most times I would be there waiting for her, never able to go to dance or soccer practice or anything else that the average kid would get to do after school (way too many piano and/or guitar lessons were missed because of a meeting going over time or my mom having to deal with a student disciplinary issue...I probably would have done lessons longer if this weren't the case).

You probably won't be surprised to hear that my chosen pathway, as I am embarking on my collegiate career, is education. Because of the aforementioned reasons. However...there's been a lot of thinking on my part about this whole things...Depending on the person, when people ask me what I want to go into while I'm at school, I've caught myself saying "I don't know" because I feel...ashamed that I want to go into education. Because of what society has made of the teaching profession. When I tell people, I get this vibe from them that they know I can do better. Why would I want to be a teacher? There are so many other options out there...A few months ago, I over-heard my grandma talking to my mom, and my mom mentioned my wanting to go into education. My grandma was disgusted by this notion. 'Why the hell would she want to do that? She's got better things to do in life than stand in front of a classroom.

I know two people, at least, who go door-to-door and do demonstrations for highly over-priced knives. They get paid by the demonstration, not by the amount of knives they actually convince people to buy. Even thirty-five years ago, my mom knew these two brothers in college. One was working as a teacher, and the other worked Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at a steakhouse while he finished school. The man who worked at the steakhouse made more money than his teacher brother. Something's wrong with that.

The teaching profession in the United States makes me angry. Really angry. Because teachers, the good ones, put in more hours than are truly expected of them. And they are leaving the classroom at an alarming rate because of the lack of respect for the profession and the lack of financial support for the countless hours they put into ensuring their children--your children are obtaining the best education possible.

These people are heroes, mentors, counselors...friends...and they make lasting impressions on their students. I can't tell you how many of my teachers have taught me lessons beyond their designated subject areas. And this is not an uncommon occurrence. They deserve to have the time and the resources to be able to do their job to the best of their abilities. They should be able to attend trainings and conferences to learn from other teachers and learn how to do their job more effectively...or even teach others how to do their job more effectively. And they shouldn't have to pay heavily out of pocket in order to do so. Either give them a larger  classroom budget, or give them a larger salary.

I don't know where I was going with this...maybe just a 'reaction' post to 'American Teacher'. Take what you want from this. I'm going to bed.