Teaching Without Passion

It is so frustrating to work with teachers who are in the business for a paycheck, not because they are passionate about teaching. And it is very easy to tell the difference.

Teachers that love what they do arrange their day around the children in their classrooms. They work hard to provide a firm educational background for themselves. They provide her students with a lesson plan that meets their needs. They take time out to learn about the individual personalities of the students in their classroom. Each student is treated with respect, and the teacher does not label the students because of past behaviors.

For some reason, being an Early Childhood Educator is not taken seriously. Some people think it’s about having a job and don’t understand the concept of educating the “Whole Child.” And when it becomes overwhelming or frustrating, the students are the ones that get the gist of it. They are belittled and expected to behave in a way that they are not developmentally able to achieve. These teachers tend to have that do as I say and not what I do behavior. For example, they sit on furniture in the classroom, and when the students do it, they discipline them like they are defiant when the students are only modeling what they saw. They use inappropriate words, with no consideration that the students might be listening.
I try to maintain a good work ethic, but it is challenging to work so hard when others are constantly undoing all your hard work; simply because they don’t care. When this behavior affects the educational growth of students, I have a big problem with that. There is a difference between someone who needs additional training and someone who doesn’t care.
I’m often asked by parents what the minimal requirements are for teaching; when I respond with 12 units, they say, “I can do that.” Although, I think their dedication to getting their units is impressive. I don’t believe prospective teachers understand the responsibility of being an Early Childhood Educator.
They must do their research and observe in an Early Childhood classroom before deciding to teach. Yes, children learn through play, and I know certain times of the day, it looks like that’s all they are doing, but educating a child is much more than that, especially if the center requires assessments and parent/teacher conferences.
I know that there are unprofessional people in every field, but when it happens in Early Childhood, it makes teaching more complicated than it needs to be, which affects the well-being of the students in that classroom.

Have anyone else experienced this?

* Darla the Teacher *