Teaching: it's what I do

"The problem with teaching as a profession is that every single adult citizen of this country thinks that they know what teachers do. And they don’t. So they prescribe solutions, and they develop public policy, and they editorialize, and they politicize. And they don’t listen to those who do know. Those who could teach. The teachers."

I was reading an article and found this quote and I love it. It describes so much about being a teacher. Now I work at a private child care center from the ages 6 weeks to 5 years old so it's a little different then working in public school. When telling people this, most people look at me weird and you can tell that they aren't impressed with the work I do. To this day I still have people that think I'm crazy to have gone to work for 5 years, only to with with "babies." It really quite frustrating and also disrespectful. People honestly have NO idea how important early childhood education is! People have no idea that when I got hired for my current employer it was required for me to have a bachelor degree is child development in order for them to consider me a full time head teacher. If you don't have the degree you have to wait a year to gain experience and start out as an assistant teacher, where you help with the classroom but you can't be left alone with the kids. Since being hired with the Corvallis Community Children's Center almost 3 hours ago, I've worked in the Pre-K room, wobbler (1 year olds), toddler (2 year olds), and now infants. Each classroom has to follow a certain lesson plan that includes developmentally appropriate activities while following the creative curriculum. If you didn't understand that last sentence then you have no idea what it's like to be a teacher.

Whenever people ask me where I work, I usually tell them I'm a teacher. They get an excited look on their face and then they ask where I work. When I tell them that I work at a daycare/preschool center the excitement leaves their face a little and say, "cool, that sounds like a fun job!" Sometimes they are being sarcastic other times they mean it. It use to bother me. But now that I've work been working with children for quite some time I take no mind to people's opinion about the job that I do. I do it because I love it. I may not get payed much, but I don't do it for the money. I do it because I love kids. I do it because I know how important early childhood education is. It brings me so much happiness knowing that I make a difference in a child's life. Someday I hope people with wake up and realize how important my job is, but until them I will continue doing what I love!