• The KNEA News Room
• Calendar of Events
• KNEA on the Issues
• News Archive
• Read Across America

Who encouraged you into teaching?

Share your love for teaching

By Blake West, President, Kansas National Education Association

Chances are that my “story” is similar to many of yours, but I hope you’ll take a few moments to read, reflect, and remember your path in life, too.

In August of my senior year in high school, I was leaning toward a career in engineering … or maybe music?  Diverse options and no definite direction.  Then, I went to 2nd hour Math Analysis class and met Mr. Norman Cox for the first time. 

Even though this was an advanced math class, he did not distribute textbooks on day one … or even day two or three.  For the first week in Mr. Cox’s class, he had on his desk a stack of books that had changed his life.  Books like Psycho-Cybernetics.  He explained how that book revealed an inner potential in each person that far exceeded one’s personal expectations.  He communicated to us his caring for each one of us as an individual, his perception of us as people with tremendous potential. 

He also told us why he loved teaching even more than his summer job working on the Ford assembly line (a job that paid as much as teaching, by the way.)  He talked about the synergy of the “aha” experience.  He talked about the excitement of being a lifelong learner himself.  It was then, with this new vision of ourselves and learning, that we launched forward into a year of hard work and high expectations.

At first, Mr. Cox transformed lives by raising the achievement of almost every student who came to his classroom.  He transformed lives by translating achievement into real learning.  Next, he transformed lives by raising the sense of self-worth of each student he met.

Eventually, through his example, I began to realize that teaching was a captivating profession.  Making a difference in the lives of students was a compelling opportunity and a personal calling that could not be ignored.

Many times I’ve been in meetings where someone poses the question, “Why did you become a teacher?”  In fact, Dr. Andy Tompkins (former Commissioner of Education and current Dean at Pittsburg State University ) asked that very question of attendees at the Kansas Exemplary Educator Network luncheon last week.  Once again, those memories of my role model came vividly and powerfully into focus.

Let me apologize for stating the obvious, but there is a connection between our personal experiences of becoming educators and the challenge to replenish the teaching profession for generations to come. 

Research bears out the powerful message evident in our personal stories:

• Teachers who have fun in their work are more likely to help students perceive what a good career this can be.
• Teachers who clearly are lifelong learners communicate that teaching is a dynamic and challenging profession.
• Teachers who constantly search for real-world learning activities that engage students and bring subject matter to life engender love for the content they teach.
• Teachers who demonstrate genuine caring for their students make clear that this rewarding profession is about transforming lives – our students’ and our own.

For those who have embraced the calling to teach and to work with students from preschool to graduate school, I would propose a challenge:

Let us seek out a successor generation of teachers to answer their calling in this profession.  Our role in answering the challenge is, firstly, to BE the vision of the career we love – have fun, keep learning, be enthusiastic about content, be genuine in caring about our students.  Frankly, remembering these personal goals might be as energizing at this time of year as the spring thaw that signals the change of seasons after a long, cold, icy winter.

Next, we need to open our eyes to the potential future teachers in our classrooms each and every day.  An encouraging word to a student when we see some potential, can help to raise her/his personal hopes and expectations.  That’s not a bad thing, even if the student only enters engineering or some other (less noble) career.

Who should we encourage?  

Our profession needs a lot of diversity:  different races and ethnicities to match the changing demographics of our nation, both men and women to serve as role models, people who are energized by the breadth of the curriculum, people who enjoy working with preschoolers to Ph.D. candidates, and also people with diverse learning styles themselves to build a rich collaborative team of educators that can help every student achieve.

Mr. Cox was not the only teacher that positively impacted my life.  To each of my teachers, I owe a real debt of gratitude for enriching my life. 

While it is not communicated nearly as often or as substantively as it should be, I’d also thank each of YOU for being the positive influence in the lives of students with whom you work – even when you don’t get to see the impact of that influence, be aware that it is happening and its value is immeasurable.

So how about one more chance to make a difference for our students?  Offer them a vision that will transform lives.

KNEA News Room Archives
2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002
For more information about KNEA and our work, contact the KNEA Communications Department.