The Teacher's Mission

In many schools across our nation teachers feel that their opinions about what and how to teach are ignored. Others, far removed from the classroom, make decisions on how teachers are trained, what tools they use in their classroom, and the methods that work best with children.

Teachers are introduced each year to a plethora of educational buzz words. They are expected to cover the curriculum at a pace to accommodate multiple classroom abilities that may have ranges as extreme as eight grade levels. They are expected to practice classroom management skills coping with special needs along with those of their regular students and nurturing all at the same pre-set pace.

Adding to this work load are state, local, and district standards for learning, state competency testing, new technology standards for students and teachers, and constant pressure from government officials, parents, and even religious groups to improve education, reform the classroom, and better develop our nation’s children. As many as half of all new teachers respond by leaving the profession finding more pay and less stress elsewhere.

Thankfully, many teachers find the rewards of teaching in the faces of their students. They are motivated and challenged by the educationally reluctant child, to seek out new tools for improving the transfer of knowledge. They know what works and repeat the techniques that were successful. They are not defeated by the finger pointing, but continue to improve their professional development. They see the whole information revolution as a very good way to reconstruct their classroom so that its walls extend across the world through interactive multimedia projects, which bring diversity, authentic interaction, and authoritative sources.