So you want to be a teacher?
I spent two years teaching high school religion in an urban school. People used to ask me if it made me feel like the teachers in the typical inspirational-inner-city school movies. Not really. Those amazing teachers had too much energy. I was mostly exhausted. By the end of two years, I knew I was called to ministry in a church, not a high school. Also, I figured I had managed to survive two of the hardest years of my life before I age thirty, which seemed like a pretty good deal. I did miss my students, though, and the natural camaraderie that develops between teachers in a school.
So, finally, a movie that really portrays what it’s like to teach: Chalk.
You should watch this movie if you are:
- thinking about a career in teaching
- a high school student who might want a little glimpse of what your teachers go through in their first years
- wondering why teachers think they have it rough
- wondering why our public schools don’t always seem to “work”
- someone who ever taught
Then, write your favorite teacher ever a letter and thank them. They probably don’t hear people say “thanks” often enough.