Case Book Five

Babalee Jenkins' sociology class has been engaging in a career exploration unit, in which each student does an in-depth study of the career that he/she is considering pursuing. Each student develops a detailed report about the steps involved in achieving the education needed for the career, as well as what the career entails on a day-to-day basis. The students are working individually and in small groups to put the finishing touches on their presentations. Some will be presenting orally, and some have developed slide show presentations that will be put on the class web site and shared with others that way.

S1: Ms. Jenkins, I really need your help. I know presentations start tomorrow and I just can't decide between two careers. I have researched both of them, and I could do either one. I am really conflicted here.

MS. JENKINS: What is the problem, Lucy?

S1: I really wanted to be a teacher. But, I learned that teachers have to be able to remember and use a lot of information. I thought about it. Every teacher that I know can talk about all kinds of things, and doesn't look at the book for the answer! Teachers have to be really smart. I don't think I am that smart. Second, I wanted to be a social worker. Social workers get to talk to individual people or small groups of people. They spend their time educating people in a different way than the teacher. They deal with people in crisis. They have to be smart also, but don't have to remember all kinds of little facts like a teacher in the classroom. I think that I am smart enough for this.

MS. JENKINS: I am hearing between the noise here. It sounds like you have some concerns about your own ability to remember things, and how smart you are. Remember, you are smart. You have to figure out what kind of smart, because there are lots of different kinds of smart. Then, think about your learning. Do you remember things fairly quickly if you need to? Would you rather think through crisis-situations like a social worker, or daily lessons and situations with individual students, like a teacher. Both are stressful jobs, and each gives you a different sense of satisfaction. In both you are making an enormous contribution to society.

S1: Ms. Jenkins, it sounds like you prefer me thinking about teaching, because you like teaching.

MS. JENKINS: I love teaching. However, don't let my role as a teacher guide you. You have to make your own decisions. You may be presenting already tomorrow, so I suggest that you think about this a bit more today, and make a decision!

Teacher Notes:

• One of the best ways to insure that there are future teachers is to model the joy of teaching, and to support students who are interested in teaching so that they seriously consider the field. Unfortunately, some teachers become bitter over the years and may tell students not to become teachers because of conditions in schools or their own issues. If this occurs, it is up to you to help students understand that there are other perspectives on teaching. Never hesitate to let students know that teachers are the backbone of a society!