After years of teaching, teachers have experienced a lot of events that would change their point of view of the profession. For example, challenges, grade levels taught, learning environment, etc. Other factors like personal issues, geography, and a change of career have also contributed towards a teacher’s point of view regarding teaching. Though there may be many factors when it comes to teaching, these factors ultimately lead towards a result that is positive or negative.
Positives:
Impacting a Student’s Life
Teachers have said they’ve gone into this profession because of their desire to make a difference in students’ lives. One of the teachers in Veritas Academy, Ms. Pacheco, a chemistry teacher, mentions how she enjoys teaching because she gets to impact students’ lives and help them learn. Another teacher at Veritas, Mr. Costello, a global history and AP European history teacher, has said that his favorite part of teaching is “when it becomes obvious a student understands what you’ve taught them.” During the years of those who choose this profession, they are able to see the growth of a student, which can be rewarding.
Interacting with Students
Many teachers who enter this profession enjoy forming teacher-student relationships and support their students to help them grow academically. Interacting with their students can make their job more enthralling and plays a big role in keeping teachers in the profession. Mrs. Florio, an algebra 1 teacher at Veritas Academy, mentions this by stating that “every class has a different personality, making the day interesting”. Another teacher at Veritas, Mr.Walter, an AP Biology teacher and living environment teacher who’s in his eighth year teaching, had said that his favorite part of teaching is “the interactions with students and the journey along the way.”
Sense of Appreciation
Teachers who feel like they are appreciated by students and receive regular recognition can impact whether or not they want to continue this profession. It can make them feel happy knowing that they are noticed for the amount of dedication and effort they’re putting in.
Negatives:
Immense Responsibility– Over the years, when it comes to teaching, teachers can find themselves overwhelmed with the pressure of producing quality work to their students and to their colleagues with limited time. “Time is the enemy of teachers due to the lack of it,” says Mr. Walter. Furthermore, he emphasizes the importance of “teachers today at this day and age have to be more cognizant towards the specific needs of each student”, which he finds to be challenging due to many needs and requirements.
Mental Health– Studies found that teachers are nearly twice as likely as other working adults to report having difficulty coping with job-related stress, and ten percentage points more likely to experience burnout. Frequent and long-term stress increases the risk of mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression.
Pandemic(COVID-19)– This pandemic caused a change in the educational system, leading to many teachers leaving this profession due to having to switch from in-person teaching to an online format. “Covid-19 played a part towards the routine of teaching by disrupting the ones that were already established by the teachers pre-covid” says Mrs. Stenos, a Criminal Law and Journalism teacher at Veritas. Teachers found it difficult to form connections with students during remote learning. Many thought that it was a barrier between them and their students. Along with this, the pandemic affected teachers’ mental health, which contributed to many of them leaving the profession.
