Myth Buster

What makes a person a good teacher?  I recently read an excerpt from Deborah Britzman’s Practice makes Practice which talked about some of the myths that affect teachers.  I looked specifically at the myth that teachers are naturally born.  Not only was I affected by the repercussions this myth but also by how my peers reacted to what we had read.

I have heard that teaching is genetic for many years.  There are certain aspects of a person that are going to help them become a teacher, but can we say that teachers are naturally born?  What would that say about the pressures placed upon teachers?  How does that affect how teachers learn?

Saying that a teacher is naturally born leads to the idea that teachers form themselves.  This idea that teachers form themselves creates a lot of pressure.  When we say things like this we are taking importance away from the education program we are in  and how we train, and saying we already possess all the knowledge necessary to be a teacher.

I know that I don’t know everything.  I know that over the last three years I have been exposed to education that has fostered great growth within me.  I have been in great experiences teaching in a classroom, and learned many things from that, but without the combination of my education classes I would not have had the same experience.  I am not an expert in absolutely everything, and because I have been given the time to learn from many of the experts I have learned so much more.

The thing that I found most interesting when responding to this reading was the way my class reacted.  Instead of talking about the myth and the negative outcomes it creates for teachers, they chose to support the myth itself.  No one seemed to have anything to disagree with the myth, but completely agreed with it.  It blew my mind.  It makes me think about how much everyone around me seems to much more confident than I do.  I’m scared to teach, I’m worried, but also excited.  Lots seem to think everything besides that teaching experience is a waste of time.  I’m sick of hearing people say how much they hate reflecting.  I am the exact opposite, clearly, otherwise I wouldn’t be blogging so much.  I try to concern myself with just what I feel and what I am going to do while teaching.  It’s difficult to not compare myself with the people around me.  I’m getting much better at being confident with my own work though.