Those who can DO. Those who can't......

TEACH.
Boy do I hate that expression.

I agree that teaching is easy. Certification is a piece of cake. PRAXIS exams are a joke. Graduate school for education is comparable to taking 5 steps without tripping. When you actually get in the classroom, all you really need to do is read from the text book and copy examples on the board. All the work is done for you. While students complete their dittos, you can sit at your desk and browse the newspaper. Oh yeah, you also get summers off....SWEET! This must be why teachers are paid slightly more than professional lawn growth observers.

Teaching well, on the other hand, is just a bit more difficult. Here are some of the things a good teacher needs to do to be successful.

Create authentic teacher/student and student/student dialogue.
Develop creative and meaningful lessons.
Relate content to students' prior knowledge and experience.
Foster a positive learning community based on trust.
Constantly improve on classroom instructional techniques.
Maintain structured but light classroom atmosphere.
Discipline without creating conflict.
Teach to everyone without teaching to the middle.
Challenge the high achieving students.
Help the low achieving students.
Motivate the unmotivated.
Inspire the uninspired.
Intrigue the unintrigued.

The Less High Falutin
Assign appropriate classwork.
Assign appropriate homework.
Grade classwork.
Grade homework.
Create effective tests.
Grade tests.
Assign big creative projects.
Spend lots of time grading big creative projects.
Calm class down when they get loud.
Wake class up when they fall asleep.
Correct students without yelling or being negative.
Keeping from getting frustrated because of behavior.
Keeping from getting frustrated because of lack of ability level.
Keeping from getting frustrated because of lack of effort.
Take roll.
Complete weird roll sheet.
Looking out for misbehavior while I'm delivering the lesson.
Looking out for confusion while I'm delivering the lesson.
Think about the delivery of the lesson while I'm giving it.
Improving on my delivery of the lesson.
Improvise.
Answer questions.
Ask questions.
Respond positively.
Answer the door.
Answer the phone.
Make copies.
Check calculators after every period.
etcetera.

These are a few of the things good teachers do constantly to ensure their success and the success of the students. This is by for the most challenging thing I have ever done in my life. The fact that I am successful at it makes me believe that I have truly found my calling.

For those of you out there that think anyone with a half a brain can teach, I hope you are in the minority because the less emphasis our society places on education and the struggles teachers endure, the more we are facing a danger of this country being marginalized by the success of some developing nations.