Green River College’s Teachers Reveal Why They Enjoy Their Jobs
By: Jayden Valencia & Kaedyn Kashmir
Staff Writer & Campus Editor
Published December 6, 2018
Why do teachers enjoy their jobs?
Teachers are regarded by the United States government as having “B-list” professions and are treated with disrespect by students and parents. They are pigeonholed as individuals that are poorly paid, lack authority, and are working a dead-end job. According to the site Education Counts, there are three primary drivers of status: “Power, money, and fame.”
High-status occupations are those that are influential. Lawyers, doctors, dentists, politicians, actors, business owners and the like are deemed as essential professions, which encompass wealth, influence, and recognition. Teaching, although requiring an acute specialization to obtain a job, delivers unsatisfactory pay and little to no recognition within the community.
Despite the United States considering teaching as a backboard profession (considering their low pay and lack of proper funding), teachers are the substance of education. Without teachers, there would not be “high-status” occupations. Teachers build foundations for knowledge, develop the minds of children, and positively impact students. They are the entity of expertise who supplies the groundwork for scientists and business owners.
Governments allegedly recognize teachers’ leadership skills across the globe; however, the United States does a poor job of supporting that claim. Regarding the Varkey Foundation’s 2013 study, CNN states that “China was the only country where teachers were considered as highly skilled as doctors.”
Countries in Asia, Europe, and Australia provide benefits and exceptional pay, whereas the United States refuses to acknowledge the importance of teachers. In fact, Washington State supplied the Kent School District with $1 billion in funding for the purpose of raising teachers’ salaries. However, the district used the funds to pay off debts and stored away the remaining amount.
As American teachers are often disregarded by their country, what is it that motivates them to teach?
“I’m in my second year of my tenure-track position. While I teach a range of courses, I was hired to teach the English 97 class—English Express—which prepares students for English 101. I like being present when students make discoveries either about themselves or the larger world or when they achieve something for the first time, such as writing an essay with sources or writing an essay for the first time. I used to volunteer at a prison. A student earned high marks on his essay, and he said, ‘That’s the first essay I’ve ever written.’ That was pretty cool.” [Marc Barrington, English Faculty]
“My response, in brief, is that I most like being a part of students making contact with new ideas, exploring their own beliefs, and broadening their perspectives as they learn more about themselves and the kind of people they want to be. In philosophy, specifically, I feel honored to be present at those light-bulb moments where they first consider a new way of thinking and take joy in how that enlarges their conception of themselves and the world around them.” [Rebeka Ferreira, Instructor of Philosophy]
“I much appreciate the opportunity for discussions with students that help with the clarification of basic beliefs and values. Many times, we have inconsistent and even contradictory images and ideas floating in our heads. As we read what others have said, discuss those ideas, contemplate the views of our classmates and our own selves, we can apply aspects of critical thinking. As a result, [students and teachers] have to face the challenges of addressing contradictions and inconsistencies that the class readings and discussions often reveal. Whether we acknowledge or reject the content, we change on a daily basis. Consequently, I can teach the same content for English 101, 126, 128, and so forth over and over, quarter by quarter, and year by year, but it’s never the same.” [Walter Lowe, English Faculty]
“What I like about teaching is when I teach something to someone; it feels like I have given them a “key”; a key that can help them explore their untapped potential. Imagine what they can do with that. Well, at least that’s my delusion of grandeur!” [Krish Mahadevan, Information Technology]
“The ability to work with students and see them off to the next level of their academic careers. Many of my students attend dental hygiene, nursing, radiology, and sonography school after completing upper-level Biology courses. It is so satisfying to be a small part of their success story.” [Jamie Vandette, Anatomy-Physiology]
Without faculty at Green River College, none of the attending students could obtain their degree to pursue an occupation. From preschool to a doctoral degree, teachers continue to inspire an entire era of scholars. Teachers define the next generation.
From the staff of The Current, we wholeheartedly appreciate the intensive work the Green River faculty does to provide us with an education.
