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A Space Ship Mechanic 

I think of a teacher as a spaceship mechanic and a student as an astronaut. A teacher’s job is not just to teach but to equip their students for both life and a career after school. A mechanic is there to give the astronaut the tools they may need to fix the ship while in space, while also fueling and preparing the ship. Teaching is like fueling the ship, the teacher is giving the student the knowledge they may need to accomplish the tasks set before them, or in this case to fly. The mechanic may also give the astronaut tools to fix the ship themselves. In the end the teacher’s goal is to help the student get to the place where they can think of things and come up with their own solutions. Like that quote attributed to Confucius which is "Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you've fed him for a lifetime.", a teacher is not just trying to fill their students with information. Instead they are trying to equip them to be able to accomplish their own tasks and give them the tools to do their own critical thinking.

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Also, just as the astronaut launches into space, the student takes what they have been taught and leaves the school. A teacher can only hope that the student will use their instruction, but in the end, it is up to the student if they will or not. Hopefully if an astronaut is in need they can radio in and the mechanic can give them advice, but in a dire situation it is up to the astronaut to know what to do.  Similarly, when a student has left if the teacher has done a good job the student should always feel welcome to come back and talk to their old instructor. In the day to day though the student should hopefully have been equipped sufficiently to stand on their own two feet and be able to handle the situations that face them. When I think of what it means to be a teacher it means to equip your students with the tools to live.

Image by Niketh Vellanki

Encouraging

I am still a student in college, and even after college I hope to never stop being a student. There is always something else one can learn. Even though I do not yet have a classroom of my own I have gotten many opportunities to teach. In high school I was able to walk down to the elementary school on our campus and volunteer in the classrooms. I worked with kindergarteners and fourth graders. I loved my time in the classroom working with the students. I always tried to encourage them to find the answer while trying to provide any scaffolding or support that they may have needed. I also really enjoyed just talking with the kids and getting to know them.

 

Beyond the traditional classroom I have worked at an eight-week long Christian day camp. The day camp worked with kids between the ages of 5-12. Even though I did not have a lesson plan or was teaching them traditional topics, I was able to teach the kids. We taught on topics like how to be respectful and kind to one another. I also got to travel overseas to Guatemala and volunteer at a children's home there. During that week I played with the kids and also worked with them on their reading and for the younger kids their motor skills. Even with the language barrier I feel like I was able to still connect with the kids. 

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Throughout these amazing experiences the thing that has always struck me is how much I have learned from the kids. Just because I am the instructor does not mean that I can not learn just as much from my students. 

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