Beyond methods ch. 1

"To teach is to be full of hope” this very first quote that started the chapter really caught my eye before I began reading because it is absolutely spot on.  I think that all teachers must be very optimistic and have passion for sharing their knowledge with their students.  Without hope this would be an extremely taxing job that would never be enjoyed. As I continued reading I thought the different classifications of teaching were interested because I always just thought the words to be synonyms and never really considered there being a difference between them. For example, when the author stated that a profession really differs from vocation because an employee can be considered professional while still not considering it to be their calling, I thought it was a great connection to the first quote.  Everyone lives to find their true calling in life which re-sparks the idea of hope.

When the author discussed the main goal of teaching as the learning process to take place in as short of time as possible it made me reflect on the little things I may have passed on to the children I have already been able to work with. My most recent example would have to be over the summer when I was working as a nanny and I taught a little girl how to blow a bubble with her gum in a rather short period of time.  As simple and meaningless as the task may seem, it is a habit that can be practiced on a daily basis for the rest of her life and I like to think that she will think of me occasionally because I was the one who taught her how.   Similarly, whenever I reflect on how I learned Spanish I always think of my previous teachers who impacted my language acquisition. I’m sure they would be happy to know that I remember them from time to time now that I am beginning to pave the way towards becoming a teacher myself.