School Daze
This statuesque beauty lit the fuse of enlightenment within me by opening my eyes to literature, culture, and faraway exotic places. She inspired me to become an educator and spread the gift of knowledge she so graciously bestowed upon me.
Today, the mission remains the same to inspire young minds to reach for their goals. But the journey to help these young souls is drastically different than it was when I was a young student or a novice teacher.
By Jose` Manuel Guzman
Miss Jeffries was my first crush
By Jose` Manuel Guzman
As I grow older, I look back with increasing fondness during my formative years in school. I owe a debt I can’t possibly repay to the teachers who inspired my curiosity, creativity, and fire to succeed. Indeed, Miss Jeffries was my first crush. This statuesque beauty lit the fuse of enlightenment within me by opening my eyes to literature, culture, and faraway exotic places. She inspired me to become an educator and spread the gift of knowledge she so graciously bestowed upon me.
Today, the mission remains the same to inspire young minds to reach for their goals. For some, that will mean a college degree, and for others, it may mean a job that will hopefully provide enough security on which to live. But the journey to help these young souls is drastically different than it was when I was a young student or a novice teacher. Educators today are under increasing pressure. Teachers are still working in an underpaid and underappreciated profession.
Most teachers hold advanced degrees, yet still, are not compensated with the starting salary comparable to their education. As a result, the teaching profession isn’t as attractive as it used to be as an older generation of teachers retires.
The need for a new generation of teachers to carry on the torch will be significant. But, even as a veteran teacher, I have difficulty suggesting the profession that I love and appreciate those pursuing education as a career goal.
The idea of summers off (without pay) and paid holidays is no longer the carrot. The realities of the stress of politicians, businessmen, and school administrators trying to climb up the ladder to “get out of the classroom” make the profession less desirable. This quite troubling with dire consequences especially for those children trapped in disadvantaged communities.
Teachers do not get the respect they truly deserve. For many teachers, dispensing wisdom is only a fraction of their extensive portfolio. Dedicated teachers are also social workers, therapists, and even sacrifice financially to aid needy students or school districts with limited funds. The reward for such efforts has been layoffs, larger class sizes, and a minuscule increase in salary. The teacher’s strikes in Chicago and Los Angeles highlighted these issues as educators strive to attain fair resources and wages.
On campus, the pressures are no less acute. Standardized testing and its increased demands for accountability have added to the pain for as we know not all school districts are financially equitable. Add to the equation feckless bureaucrats with limited classroom experience and the litigious and indifferent parents, the morale of educators has plummeted. Additionally, the increasing spectre of school violence and the inability to be allowed to discipline unruly students are all factors that have led to teacher malaise and burnout.
I love my job despite the drawbacks. Teaching remains one of the noblest of all professions. God knows the majority of us are not in it for the money. We get intrinsic joy from our student’s successes. I get a fantastic feeling when I run into old students who share tales of academic and professional triumphs and remember me fondly. As well, those have fallen upon hard times and reflect on the advice that I gave earlier about the importance of earning an education. The rewards are not immediate, but we do make a difference.
Our nation needs to reinvest in our kids and educational infrastructure. The future depends on a highly skilled and educated workforce to meet the challenges of a global economy. We need your support, together, we will claim the future one graduate at a time.
6 Skills Needed for All Jobs Regardless of Field
This post is from NBC Parent Toolkit.
You have likely heard about “soft skills” before. But what are they? Sometimes referred to as “21st-century skills,” “interpersonal skills,” or “applied skills,” they are the skills that are non-technical or specific to a certain job. They are the skills that help you think, communicate with people, and reflect on your experiences. Basically, your young adult needs them to thrive in the workforce. Career coach Jane Horowitz says the basis of her coaching practice is “hire for attitude, train for skills,” and she sees will and drive as being the greatest determinants of young adults getting hired.
And your young adult needs each one of them to thrive in the workforce
This post is from NBC Parent Toolkit.
You have likely heard about “soft skills” before. But what are they? Sometimes referred to as “21st-century skills,” “interpersonal skills,” or “applied skills,” they are the skills that are non-technical or specific to a certain job. They are the skills that help you think, communicate with people, and reflect on your experiences. Basically, your young adult needs them to thrive in the workforce. Career coach Jane Horowitz says the basis of her coaching practice is “hire for attitude, train for skills,” and she sees will and drive as being the greatest determinants of young adults getting hired.
“We hear it time and time again, it’s the soft skills,” says Terri Tchorzynski, 2017 National School Counselor of the Year. “That’s what allows you to keep the job. Employers can hire our students and train them, but if they don't have the soft skills, it's really hard for them to stay employed."
According to the Harvard University “Pathways to Prosperity Project” study in 2011, U.S. employers are increasingly seeing students graduate from college unequipped to survive in the 21st century workforce. Specifically, they are “deficient” in skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and communication. Bruce Tulgan, founder and CEO of Rainmaker Thinking and expert and author on young people in the workplace, has been tracking the generational change in the workplace since 1993. According to Tulgan (and many other experts and employers), there is a gap in soft skills from previous generations to the generation entering the workforce today.