TODD:
I often find myself contemplating
what it means to be a teacher. Can I cultivate the essential skills it
takes to be a teacher by merely accumulating teaching methods in a classroom
environment?
Was I a teacher before I was born?
The "calling" does not tell me what to do, but rather, like the daemon
of Socrates it tells me what not to do. When I enter the classroom and
see twenty souls, twenty young students before me, the fire begins to burn
and the world becomes a magical place again, just as it was when I was
a young student.
Can I share with a young student
without inadvertantly[sic] destroying that seed which makes genuine education
possible? — Wonder!! I don’t know if I’m a teacher and as a graduate student,
I’m not sure if I’ll even go into a credential program, but regardless,
I’m sure this course will provide a mirror for self reflection and help
me to keep on keeping on.
STEVE:
After graduating high school and
coming to a huge university such as San Diego state I began to realize
that the world does not revolve around my small neighborhood. I thought
everything I would need and learn was in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. But
my mentality changed first week of school when students around me, knew
and experience[d] more than I had. Why was that? For the most part I felt
they had an advantage over me, because of there[sic] educational opportunity.
I took this message as a calling, so future generations won’t enter at
a disadvantage like I.
DEMETRIA:
I want to teach.
I need to teach.
Teaching or to be a professional
guide is a serious desire for me. Everyday of my existence, I learn.
The learning process fascinates me. Children fascinate me, too.
My belief in learning and teaching are interdependent. I want to
be a part of the process -- forever. Teaching would allow me to be
continuously a part of the process. As far as multicultural education
is concerned the need is great. Many children today are being miseducated
or ignored based on ignorance of people calling themselves teachers.