College Admissions Essay: Where Would We Be Without Teachers

In the eleven chapter of A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking, the authors talk about

When you think about a teacher, you automatically think about someone who teaches kids for a living. Being a teacher doesn’t have to be just teaching children on a daily basis. Teachers are the reasons why a lot of children have grown to love learning and appreciate the effort their teacher has put into their education. Teachers are very important in today’s society and they do a lot for everyone. Teachers aren’t just there to make lesson plans, grade papers, and write on black-boards. Teachers are around because they want to give children a proper education.

Back in the 1950s, teaching was considered a noble profession. The men and women that chose the field of education as a career were well respected by parents, students, and the community as a whole. I sat down with a retired teacher, a current teacher and a student working on their education degree, all three from the same family. Mr. Charles Faren is a retired high school teacher, head football coach and assistant principal, Ms. Cheryl Faren is currently a middle school reading teacher for the Clark County School District, and Mr. Matthew Barth is a student at College of Southern Nevada working on his degree in secondary education who is currently working as a gear up tutor at one of the county’s middle schools. The role of a teacher hasn’t necessarily changed over the years, the requirements and expectations have however. Today the educators of America are required to teach what is called common core, they have to prepare students to take standardize exams, with the technology of the internet and social media comes new forms of bullying and harassment that shows up in schools, low wages and now a lack of support and respect that today’s teachers now have to work through.

This year I had the prestigious honor of being in Ms. Brown’s class, and let me tell you, it was anything but normal. Ms. Brown’s cheerfulness (and maybe a bit of messiness) really helped me realize that teachers actually have lives. They’re not just some robots who are only activated to teach, and then turned off when the class leaves, as much as we might think they are.

The atmosphere she created in her classroom was unlike any teacher I’d ever had. If there’s one thing I could say, her class was never boring. Whether she was wearing a witch hat waving around a plastic sword – in correlation to Macbeth, or jamming out with an air guitar to Iron Maiden - pertaining to Dante’s Inferno. She could include anyone’s interest to make sure learning was fun for everyone. The love and compassion she has for teaching radiates off of

Grice, G., L., & Skinner, J., F., (2010). “Mastering Public Speaking, Seventh Edition”. Published by Allyn &

My third grade teacher’s name was Ms. Brockbank. From the first day I met her, I knew we had a bond. She knew that after school there would be nobody at home besides my siblings and I, so she would invite us to her classroom for after school snacks. It was usually nothing more than apple

Lucas, S. E. (2012). The art of public speaking (12th Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill

The issue of teacher shortage today is continuing to grow. The effects of the achievement gap are reaching the teachers, not just the students: “...good administrators and teachers, who are doing their best under difficult circumstances, will be driven out of the profession…,” (Boyd-Zaharias 41). The achievement gap is part of the reason teachers feel they are underpaid, which happens to be one of the leading cause in teacher shortage considering, “Teachers were paid two percent less [than comparable workers] in 1994, but by 2015 the wage penalty rose to 17 percent,” (Long). Being a teacher requires passion in order to stay in the field, especially if the money in teaching is decreasing. Money is an important aspect for people when it comes to their careers, therefore, fewer people want to become teachers. This lack of teachers and the lack of college students studying to become a teacher leads to unqualified teachers and larger classroom sizes (Ostroff). Both of these causes are eventually affecting students’ learning environments. I chose this issue in education for my project because I have personally felt these effects, and I know others who have as well. As a future educator, I want to see better wages and better benefits, but this can only happen with qualified, passionate teachers. I plan on being one of them, and I plan on sparking a change. I am a future educator fighting to end teacher shortage.

Freshman year English would certainly have been completely diverse without Ms. Karen Minor as my teacher. Through the thick and thin, she understood my struggles and understood how to accomplish specific assignments that for some time I did not fully comprehend. For example, she assisted me with our Personal Odyssey (Adventure) Video project; without any ideas, I personally asked her how to find a perfect event. She gladly and happily offered some ideas, asking questions about what vacation(s) I have been on recently, and she expanded the horizon even more, asking if there was a certain time I felt “at home” on a vacation. Having said this, I finally realized that there was a perfect time to use for my project. With her help, I was able to

Public speaking is a skill that enhances student’s educational and professional careers and allows the opportunity to influence those revolving around them. Having such skill will allow students to be confident and well rounded. Allowing them to overcome fears and insecurities derived from the lack of public speaking skills. ( NAME OF CLUB) seeks to empower students to connect and share valueable insights and opinions with their audience. Being a confident public speaker will not only affect students as individuals but it will allow SDSU to grow and as community. Giving students the tools to share something that matters to them with those external to their social circle. (NAME OF CLUB) will allowed those who have a phobia of public speaking

There are a number of teachers that I could mention in my journal today, there is Miss Lamb, who helped referred me to the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program. Mrs. Child, my third grade teacher who I still have lunch with from time to time to discuss literature. Even Mr. Ford, who would lend me books from his daughter’s personal library because we had the same taste in literature and he knew how much I loved to read. Throughout my years as a student, I have had the honor of being taught by many great educators. However, the most influential educator I have had in my life is the one who not only helped jumpstart my career as a student, but also offered me my first job, and that is my kindergarten teacher Mrs. Walker.

Teachers where would we be without them. I highly encourage you to get to know your teachers. Your teachers are here for a reason to teach but they are also here to help. If you don’t understand something ask them. Ask them why you made a certain grade, tell them what you didn’t like about the class, and give some teaching advice to help them as well. Teachers love to know that their students care and by getting involved and talking with them you show them that you do care. My personal experience with this is that my first year of college, I was closer to a lot of my teachers than I thought I would be. However, when I first started college, I was thinking the same thing you are thinking now, I probably won't talk to my teachers outside of the

This past semesters has been an eye opening experience that has changed my views on teacher. Ever since I was little, I have always wanted to be a fourth grade teacher. However after being placed in a second grade classroom my views have changed. I liked the idea of teaching fourth grade because my fourth grade teacher was my inspiration in life. When I was in Ms. Petro’s class I enjoyed being able to watch the students progress over time. Being able to see the drastic improvements in little children is very rewarding and that is why I want to continue to teach lower grades. I have learned that being a teacher requires a special someone, a person who knows that sometimes you will have to deal with tough situations leaving you exhausted and feeling like you are not able to help more. But at the same time, being a teacher allows one to be a visionary for the world and those who surround you.

Teaching is a profession that is considered to be a rewarding challenging and complex role.  An effective teacher does not simply teach knowledge their students and instead aims to arm students with the knowledge, skills, understanding and attitudes that will prepare students for life-long learning. The constructivist theories developed by Piaget and Vygotsky have impacted on the way that teachers teach and this has changed the approach of teaching to place a greater importance on the teacher instead to act as a facilitator of learning in an open, constructivist environment and providing students with the tools to challenge themselves to develop both academically and personally.  The education of students within classrooms of today is