By Bishop Michael Goings
The Teacher’s Honor Roll All the schools in our Pee Dee region have started back after a time out for summer vacation. My wife and daughter are educators, and they have enjoyed their time away from the classroom. Nevertheless, there seems to be in them and other educators an anticipation and excitement to get back to the classroom. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why they have been teaching so long. I want to consider and share with you what it takes (in my opinion) for a teacher to make The Teacher’s Honor Roll. Remember these qualifications are based upon my personal observations and evaluations of my wife, daughter, and a few others who have stood the test of time as teachers and educators.
You Must See It as a Calling and Not a Job
If one is going to make The Teacher’s Honor Roll, he or she must first see teaching as a calling and not a job. Although, in a technical and professional way, it is a job. However, anyone who expects to have effectiveness and staying power as a teacher who deals with students, whether they are five or eighteen years old, must believe that they have been called by God to do it.
You Must Love What You Are Doing
As in most professions, those who excel love what they are doing. The teachers I know who have been teaching for many years love being teachers. It was not the salary nor the prestige that came with the position that kept them in the field of education. It was because they loved what they were doing. If you love what you are doing as a teacher, you are a candidate for The Teacher’s Honor Roll. You Must Not Have Favorites Any teacher who has favorites has disqualified themselves from making The Teacher’s Honor Roll. Growing up as a student at Gordon Elementary and Gordon High School in Dillon, I had teachers on both sides of the equation. There were some who had favorites and others who treated everyone equally and fairly. I remember the ones who did not have pets or favorites. They were the most effective and competent teachers. You Must Establish That You Are in Charge of the Classroom Believe it or not, there are some teachers who are very gifted at instructing their students in the area that they teach. Nevertheless, many of these talented and qualified teachers will never make The Teacher’s Honor Roll. They lack the ability or courage to control and maintain order in their classrooms. To paraphrase the words of Dr. James Dobson, “Teaching is not for cowards.” Although in most classrooms (especially in public schools) there are teacher’s assistants who are to help the teachers in anyway they can. However, at the end of the day, it is the teacher who must establish who is in charge of the classroom.