In the midst of a nationwide teacher shortage, our educators are more important than ever in keeping creativity and integrity alive. More specifically, it’s a crucial time to have younger teachers that are qualified and committed to fulfilling the role of an educator in today’s competitive society.

The big question is, what makes an excellent teacher? Teachers play a huge role in a kid’s development all the way through high school, but they are much more than an adult with a degree. We’ll be taking a look at some students currently looking into education as their longtime career- their hopes and experiences.

“[All] my teachers have been really great and supportive, and I really want to be a supportive figure in kids’ lives,” Molly Oakley, a junior in principles of education, said. “Like last year, I had a really good teacher and she really inspired me [to] want to be that teacher.” 

Teaching is relatively a low paying job for the workload required, discouraging many who think it may be their passion. However, there are many teachers who inspire their students to pursue education because of their dedication. There is also a more personal element in teaching; while the experience of being taught is inspiring, actually teaching others seems to be a more powerful influence.

“I never actually wanted to be a teacher for a really long time- I feel like that’s something that’s common with people that usually want to be teachers,” senior Catherine Park said. “But then I started volunteering with kids my sophomore year… and I was like, ‘wait, I actually really like interacting with the kids- I’m good at teaching them and I have fun teaching.’”

Being a part of the learning experience as an educator has proven to be a decisive factor in whether someone decides to go into education or not. It also helps to be a student while pursuing education because it allows a more nuanced understanding of a student’s needs.

“I feel like we need to have a consistent way of getting kids to study, because [motivation] is the hardest part about [learning],” Oakley said. “So we need a consistent way to keep [students] passionate and keep them motivated.”

Sometimes the competitiveness in a school can be a positive motivator for students, yet an environment with too much competitiveness can prove to be stressful because it makes it seem like the higher mark is the ultimate goal; resulting in the neglectance of comprehension and learning.

“I feel like it’s not really about the grades- It’s more so about getting students to understand what’s happening. You can have really good grades and still have no clue what’s going on, but you could do really badly [in school] but still have a good grasp of the concept,” Oakley said. “It’s about understanding more so than [being] good at test taking.”

Park is a senior in the Miller program who interns at a local elementary school in a 5th grade math class. Park highlights how education relies on compassionate teachers and being able to understand how different students learn.

“I don’t think people quite realize how exhausting being a teacher is, so by giving our teachers the resources to kind of combat the mental strain and giving them like the positive space for them to become the best teacher that they can be,” Park said  “Because once teachers become the best versions of themselves, that’s when they can help guide their students to be the best versions of themselves.”