Only Time Will Tell

Lacking Enthusiasm

It’s not news to hear how teachers feel about standardize tests. They are against them. But it’s shocking to hear about how teachers feel in their classrooms. What happens when the teachers are those that lose interest in school? How does that affect the students? I know from my experience that when someone was talking about something they felt so passionate about, I was all ears. Clinging to every word they said, reading their facial expressions.

If someone wasn’t excited about something we were talking about, I would wander into day dreams dreading the ongoing conversations. At school, I have been blessed to have teachers so passionate about their jobs that learning was not a task. Learning was something I looked forward to. Until I had that ONE teacher that made learning feel like a minimum wage, laborious job.

It was my first year in college. With about 30 other classmates, I took a math class. It was absolutely horrible. Not only was math my least favorite subject, but the professor was monotone, boring, and used lectures as his one form of teaching. Since I’m being honest, I failed the class. There was no hope for me from the first day I walked through those doors. My professor was just as excited about math as I was… which isn’t saying much. Would have a more excited and enthusiastic teacher helped me pass the class? Probably not but it might have made the class more bearable.

According to Smith, "A survey of more than 7,200 teachers across the country found that about 70 percent are not enthusiastic about their work." Why are our teachers lacking enthusiasm at work? New teachers should be so passionate about their careers. When our teachers lack enthusiasm, so do our students. Creating a domino effect where their grades (more importantly their understanding) fall short. The feelings and passion one puts in their work shows. It translates in the work we do and the work we want other to do.

It’s so easy to say that as a future teacher I will be excited to teach my students. I can’t be sure that that will happen. With all this pressure to meet these unrealistic standards it’s difficult to enjoy the simple pleasures in teaching. Lessons become less exciting when they become so strict on following the Common Core. Of course it is great to have these objectives in the lesson. A lesson would have no point if it had no direction.  But we need our teachers to be engaged and excited to teach in order for our students to be excited. Engaged students gather more concrete understandings when they love what they are learning.

They say that the lack of engagement improves over time. We can only hope that this is true. I guess only time will tell.

For more information click below

http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2014/04/most_teachers_arent_engaged_in.html#incart_river