For the last semester of my 28 year career as a teacher in public education I was given a course I had never taught before. At first I was mildly irritated and amused at the same time. My colleague, who has taught the Civics and Careers course for a decade gave me lots of help and I took it on with a "try it and see" attitude. It turned out to be a highlight of my career!
First, the students were eager and willing to reflect, share ideas and try new things. Secondly, the content of the course was practical and insightful. Thirdly, the exposure to real life professions was very formative. Each student invited a guest speaker to come in and share the positives and negatives of their profession, as well as how they got there. This exposure gave the students a realistic picture of certain key ingredients to success as reiterated by several of the guest speakers: it is imperative to know how to write / type correctly in proper English ( or French), a lot of hard work is required, passion is more important than salary, people skills outweigh knowledge in the long run, and finally, there is more than one pathway to the career that satisfies. In other words, it is a myth that a university education leads to a well-paying job in the career of choice for a lifetime! I feel strongly that there is undue stress placed on students in senior high to have the high grades that lead to the best university programs in order to guarantee success. Many guest speakers started in one field and ended up in another, did not go to university, took courses for professional development as they worked, went to college and got into a job they love.
The last new course of my career was truly rewarding and one of my most authentically educational experiences in teaching!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think that as a teacher it is important to expand your range of experience, which in this case was teaching civics and careers. I believe that part of the reason why so many teachers burn out, or loose their passion and excitement is because they get bored or too set in a specific set of teaching methods and/or beliefs. If you had never taught this course, you would have never been able to gain the happy and enriching experience that ended up accompanying it. In addition, I also agree that too much emphasis is placed on "Top Universities". Everyone is unique in the way they learn, and develop and with regards to the skills they bring to the table. In placing a strong focus on universities, and a specific group of universities for that matter; we are ceasing to acknowledge the significance of each person as individuals, as well as taking away part of their right to remain so. Many students and their learning needs actually thrive in learning environment that is a combination of the standard university and college experience. Some students simply learn as they go, and would prefer to take "enrichment" type courses along the way. Having said that, the unique variety of people within our society is being undermined by the way we insist on grouping people based on specific sets of educational standards.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Carly's comments that everyone learns differently. I have seen in my practicum many different styles and many different interests in the students. Although I am a huge supporter of higher education, I think it is imperative that, as teachers, we give a healthy message to our learners regarding education. We have studied over the weeks that education does not necessarily guarantee employment, and that striving after something because of the perception of prestige or social expectations will probably not end in satisfaction for the student -- whether they become employed or not. I believe that it is the responsibility of the educator to come along side the learners and to help them explore what they want to do in their life. If we can ask questions that are more centered around interest rather than expectation, the student will probably have a much greater opportunity to think in a broader sense about their vocation and the possibilities that exist for employment for them.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great way to end your career! Many students feel this pressure to figure out what field they want to go into right away and are pushed into university. Families and teachers expect students to go to a well-known university because they feel it is a better education than college. It seems that it is just the norm for students to go to university now but it is not necessarily the better choice for every individual. Instead of being pressured to go to university, students should be given the different options for their future. A lot of successful people never went to university to get a degree. It is important that people end up in a career that they love to do. Students can try out different fields but do not have to stick to it just because someone else is forcing them to.It is great that the students in your class were exposed to different possibilities and relieved of the stress of having to go to a university.
ReplyDeleteMiranda