By Melissa Insko
Kenton County Future Teachers Academy
So many times we, as teachers, wonder what impact we’re really having. Does the time and effort we put in actually translate to a better world in any significant way? Now? Later? Are our students actually any “better” for having been guided by us during our 50 minutes together each day?
Like so many before and beside me, I had many guides who helped me to learn throughout my school years. I, too, had “that one teacher” who brought out the very best in me as scholar and as a person. How many of us can say that? It’s almost a rite of passage into the profession!
His name was John Graber, and he was my English 2 teacher. Once upon a time, his sharp eye and guidance pulled me back from the brink of academic disaster. . .mostly because he had taken the time to pay attention to what was happening in my life outside of school. While the details aren’t important, suffice it to say he saved my life in more than one way. And because of him, I knew my childhood dream to teach simply had to be realized. I had to pay forward his selfless gift.
As a new teacher, I first focused on providing good content and a safe environment. I worked diligently to make authentic connections with each student and to pay attention to all the little signs students give both when things are going well and when they are
going badly. It turns out I was pretty good at this skill, something I believe I received from my parents and from the example of Mr. Graber.
Melissa Insko
Along the way, something changed in what I was noticing. It appeared that my students’ experiences were not the same in each of the classrooms they visited during the day.
They were coming back with stories that were more frequent and detailed than the typical teenage student complaints about homework and tests. They were talking about some of my colleagues (both teachers and administrators) who seemed to hate spending their days in a high school and among young adults. I started paying attention and eventually ended up having some informal conversations with some of the teachers. What I found was that many of these professionals shared similar stories: They didn’t realize they didn’t love the work until too far into their degree programs to drop out. Many of them felt they were “good” at the job, but didn’t feel the passion they thought they would. Almost all agreed that they “didn’t know what they were getting into.”
At first, I didn’t know what to say — I live, eat, and breathe to teach. It made me sad that anyone would go into — not to mention stay in — a career that didn’t personally fulfill them.
Fast forward five years into my career. I found a way to re-focus my energies for changing the world. If what I had learned from my colleagues was true, what was needed was something more than pre-service teachers were currently receiving. Because I work in career and technical education, I went to my director and principal and proposed the creation of career classes for “pre-” pre-service teaching. With the creation of the Future Educators Academy, I hoped to provide a pathway for teachers who felt prepared
for the profession, who could then make a true difference in the lives of their students.
My goal was to provide an introduction into teaching that was real-world. I wanted to harness the altruism of my scholars and teach them about some of the less glamorous sides of education — to show them how to successfully navigate the parts of teaching that we never see in movies. I wanted to teach them about the origins of education in the US, the hows and whys of what we do, the different needs of different learners, and the techniques of successful instruction. I wanted to provide them with as much time
in actual classrooms as possible. I wanted them to approach deconstructing a learning standard with as much enthusiasm as they would decorating their first classroom.
We started with two courses and an elective and over the past three years have worked with the state of Kentucky to create a four-course career pathway that is allowing us to grow our own future teaching force. Every day, I spend meaningful time with students as they master the nuts and bolts of teaching so that they can move on to the more intangible craft of it later on. The state has partnered with Educators Rising, too, which has allowed us access to networks of teachers across the nation who are doing the same thing.
It really has been the best of both worlds, as I still get the authentic relationships with my scholars while helping to build better professionals for future generations!
It’s also helping me grow personally, as I’m regularly faced with something I had both
hoped for and dreaded. There are students who come through this program who ultimately decide that teaching isn’t for them. On the one hand, I’m happy they’ve figured it out before they’ve paid thousands of dollars, spent years in undergraduate programs, and potentially found themselves feeling stuck in a profession that they don’t want. On the other hand, however, it still surprises me that anyone would walk away from teaching… I mean, I think it’s a wonderful way to spend a life! I try to remember what a blessing it is, though, to help coach these young people — both into the profession and away from it.
With all that being said, I find myself in a moral quandary as of late. With the growing tensions surrounding the pension crisis in Kentucky, the negative commentary from politicians, and the backlash from a largely uninformed public, I am facing daily questions on if going into education is “safe” anymore. My students and their families are (rightly, I think) questioning if teaching is going to provide even a workable livelihood. I have been honest with them in the past about the pay not being fantastic, but I’ve always stressed that the health and retirement benefits were a good balance.
Anymore, I don’t know what to say to them. In one fell swoop, it appears that what is ultimately decided in Frankfort could undermine all the work we’ve put into creating a better education system for Kentucky. If my students can’t support themselves and their future families through teaching, they’re going to have no other choice but to look at other careers.
My hope is that people will be responsible, become informed, and support our teacher–both current and future. For more information, I encourage you to visit https://goo.gl/oKmW7v.
Melissa Insko is the Teaching Professions Instructor for the Future Educators Academy in Kenton County and has been in the classroom for 8 years. She holds an Ed.S. degree and was recently awarded the NKY Excellence in Education Golden Apple award.
