If All Jobs Paid The Same….

Summary

The author, a retired teacher, reflects on their personal struggles with shyness and learning difficulties during school and emphasizes the importance of nurturing and protecting vulnerable students to ensure their well-being and safe development.

Abstract

The author, a former elementary teacher, shares a personal narrative about their challenging school experiences due to undiagnosed nearsightedness and social awkwardness. These experiences shaped their teaching philosophy, which prioritized creating a safe environment for students, particularly those who might be bullied or feel out of place. The author expresses ongoing concern for students who struggle to fit in, especially in light of modern challenges like social media and easy access to harmful content, and underscores the critical role of educators in guiding young people towards a productive and safe future.

Opinions

The author believes that the experience of being an awkward child in school can have profound effects on a person's life and self-esteem.
They value the role of educators in providing a supportive environment for students, emphasizing that a teacher's attention can prevent bullying and help students feel safe.
The author suggests that modern issues such as social media and access to harmful content complicate the development of young people, potentially contributing to tragedies like school shootings.
Despite these challenges, the author maintains that working with children is the most rewarding job, regardless of pay, and that teaching is a noble profession because of its impact on the future.

If All Jobs Paid The Same….

No matter what the money, I’d always choose to work with kids. Part of the reason I became a teacher was to give children a better experience than I had in school.

In my elementary years, I was not only shy but had learning problems. Because my nearsightedness was not discovered until the end of second grade, I was constantly confused about what I was seeing and, as a result, what I understood. Finally, after getting glasses, my grades improved, but the foundation for my learning had suffered. It took me longer to get concepts which impacted my self-esteem, and wearing glasses didn’t help. Kids can be merciless when teachers aren’t around, and their teasing did little to help my confidence.

In middle school, things were difficult for a different reason. I was still awkward and shy academically, but now I was an adolescent. The awkwardness, when faced with boys and girls in the ‘relationship’ stage, paralyzed me with fear and made me respond to my classmates in unflattering ways. Rather than deal with my insecurities, they snubbed me, and I spent most of that time without friends.

I promised myself when I became an elementary teacher, I’d watch out for the awkward child. I’d pay attention to his or her interactions with other kids to make sure they weren’t being bullied. Throughout my career, if you asked my students, I think they’d say they felt safe in class, and their well-being was what I valued most.

Even though I’m retired from teaching, I still worry about those awkward students. When I see shootings in schools across the country, I wonder who could have paid greater attention to the student who felt out of place. There’s no doubt the world is more complicated. With social media exposure and unlimited access to everything from pornography to guns, it’s hard to imagine young people getting enough time to allow their prefrontal cortexes to develop before making decisions that cause such tragedies.

Regardless, young people were and still are our best hope for the future, and there’s no greater calling than helping them reach it productively and safely. No other profession is as important.