Going To Bat For Your Students When You Become A Teacher
When you become a teacher, you do more than just present information for students to learn, and then test how much they have learned. Most people become a teacher because they have a love of children, and it allows them to express their inner self, as a person born to teach.
So having become a teacher you do not just lecture. You develop a bond with your students, and this is one of the joys of the profession. You work with your group of students throughout the course of a year and share their successes with them. In addition, you become their friend, protector and confidant, and have a special relationship with them and their families, and the trust and affection you receive is something to cherish.
This teacher-student bond allows you to see a child who needs to be loved and nurtured where others might see a child who behaves violently and has earrings and tattoos, and hangs around with a gang. This bond can be responsible for a child being turned around, ceasing unpleasant behavior and beginning to develop into a productive person as they grow up, thanks to that one teacher.
Another way in which you can go to bat for one of your students is if you realize that a child is gifted, and you convince the school's administration to arrange extended learning opportunities for him or her, which will allow their gifts to be developed. Imagine the gift you have given that child for their life, when that gift blossoms into a talent. This is a wonder that you can perform, if you become a teacher.
The students you teach have been put into your care, and you make a serious commitment to them. None of those children have a lower value than the rest, and you should not give up on any of them. If one of them gets into trouble, then you as their teacher show your commitment to them and your profession by helping, and possibly saving their educational career. Again, a very rewarding experience for those who choose to become a teacher.
Being expelled is a very serious matter for a child, who will then carry that stigma into the world. This is the last thing you want for one of your students, and you can try to get them placed in a different school or arrange for tutoring for a while, or perhaps home schooling, until things improve, so that their education does not suffer.
When you become a teacher you occupy a place of privilege, where trust and caring typically exist between you and each student. By going to bat for your students when they need you, you protect that relationship, and do the best for them and for their future.
