Lessons Learned

Abstract

There are many reasons why teachers get into the profession, but chief among them is a love for children and a love for their subject area. Most teachers grew up enjoying school, missing rarely, and have many fond memories of their time as students. However, teachers frequently are confronted with huge differences in the lives of their students when compared to their own. These issues are many, but often come in the form of apathy, chronic absenteeism, poor health, poor living conditions, and other issues that are tied to the culture of poverty that can be common in portions of nearly every public school in America. When this occurs, teachers must learn to overcome and serve all their students, despite a disconnect from their personal attitude and experiences. In this chapter, the author reminisces about several former students from his career who have taught him lessons and forced him to adapt to remain an emotionally relevant teacher. These stories are targeted to beginning teachers who will soon be walking into their own classrooms.