Why I Want To Teach: An Open and Honest Letter
Dear reader,
I remember it as though it were yesterday. I still feel the cripplingly cold fear creeping down my spine, the fire raging in my cheeks as my face burned hellish red, the giant beads of hot, dewy sweat slowly trickling down my face, and the swarm of butterflies incessantly fluttering away in the pit of my stomach. I still see the first graders gathered around me in a jumbled circle staring me down with their wide, expectant eyes, confused and impatiently waiting for the words to come out of my mouth. I still remember the book shaking in my lap, as I tried to keep it secured between my quivering fingers. I still remember desperately gawking down at what I knew were words, hoping that the strange symbols would miraculously begin to make sense to me. I still remember my chest heaving as I tried to catch my faltering breath, the salty tears rushing down my face as I sprinted out of the classroom and into the unfamiliar hallway on my first day of first grade, at my new, frightening elementary school. Therefore, I will never forget the kind, compassionate woman who made those symbols make sense to me. Ms. Davison taught me so much more than just how to read. She taught me how to be passionate, caring, and patient. She taught me what it meant to really teach and be a teacher, and she ultimately inspired me to want to be one myself.
Although I did not choose the elementary path, and although I may never have the chance to impact a student in such a powerful, substantial way, I want to at least attempt to give students the chance to feel the indescribable way Ms. Davison made me feel those many years ago when I was finally able to discern what those obscure symbols meant after months of effort. I want to be able to share the passion that she taught me to cherish and encouraged me to hone. I want to evoke and encourage critical thinking, and teach students about the magic and power that is the written word, all that it encompasses, and all that it has the potential to express. I want to inspire creativity, and give them ways in which they can express their imagination. I want to show them that they can learn about the world without ever buying a plane ticket. I want to have open-ended, complicated, and controversial discussions that require students to really think- something that I feel many others around them, or even worse, they may think that they are incapable of doing. I want to teach them to question, question, question. I want students to interrogate over-generalizations and stereotypes that they are inundated with on a daily basis. I want students to identify and connect with what they learn. I want to inspire students to express the voice that I sincerely believe every individual has within themselves. I want to convince them that what they have to say really does matter, and really can make a difference. I want to tell them that I will learn just as much from them as they will from me. I want to motivate the type of student who adores reading, and loves getting lost within the pages of a book, as well as those who loathe literature, and view reading and writing as pure torture. I want to discover what it is that they love, and show them that they can discuss, read, and write about it within the walls of a classroom. I want to be challenged, I want to be annoyed, and I want to be scared- just as scared and flustered as I was that horrifying day when I stared down at those meaningless words. I want to learn. I want to teach.
Sincerely,
Rama Kadri
I remember it as though it were yesterday. I still feel the cripplingly cold fear creeping down my spine, the fire raging in my cheeks as my face burned hellish red, the giant beads of hot, dewy sweat slowly trickling down my face, and the swarm of butterflies incessantly fluttering away in the pit of my stomach. I still see the first graders gathered around me in a jumbled circle staring me down with their wide, expectant eyes, confused and impatiently waiting for the words to come out of my mouth. I still remember the book shaking in my lap, as I tried to keep it secured between my quivering fingers. I still remember desperately gawking down at what I knew were words, hoping that the strange symbols would miraculously begin to make sense to me. I still remember my chest heaving as I tried to catch my faltering breath, the salty tears rushing down my face as I sprinted out of the classroom and into the unfamiliar hallway on my first day of first grade, at my new, frightening elementary school. Therefore, I will never forget the kind, compassionate woman who made those symbols make sense to me. Ms. Davison taught me so much more than just how to read. She taught me how to be passionate, caring, and patient. She taught me what it meant to really teach and be a teacher, and she ultimately inspired me to want to be one myself.
Although I did not choose the elementary path, and although I may never have the chance to impact a student in such a powerful, substantial way, I want to at least attempt to give students the chance to feel the indescribable way Ms. Davison made me feel those many years ago when I was finally able to discern what those obscure symbols meant after months of effort. I want to be able to share the passion that she taught me to cherish and encouraged me to hone. I want to evoke and encourage critical thinking, and teach students about the magic and power that is the written word, all that it encompasses, and all that it has the potential to express. I want to inspire creativity, and give them ways in which they can express their imagination. I want to show them that they can learn about the world without ever buying a plane ticket. I want to have open-ended, complicated, and controversial discussions that require students to really think- something that I feel many others around them, or even worse, they may think that they are incapable of doing. I want to teach them to question, question, question. I want students to interrogate over-generalizations and stereotypes that they are inundated with on a daily basis. I want students to identify and connect with what they learn. I want to inspire students to express the voice that I sincerely believe every individual has within themselves. I want to convince them that what they have to say really does matter, and really can make a difference. I want to tell them that I will learn just as much from them as they will from me. I want to motivate the type of student who adores reading, and loves getting lost within the pages of a book, as well as those who loathe literature, and view reading and writing as pure torture. I want to discover what it is that they love, and show them that they can discuss, read, and write about it within the walls of a classroom. I want to be challenged, I want to be annoyed, and I want to be scared- just as scared and flustered as I was that horrifying day when I stared down at those meaningless words. I want to learn. I want to teach.
Sincerely,
Rama Kadri