Teachers have power to change world

Former U.S. business leader Lee Iacocca once noted, “In a completely rational society, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less, because passing civilization along from one generation to the next ought to be the highest honor and the highest responsibility anyone could have.”

In other countries, with demonstrably successful educational systems, one of the common denominators is the high esteem with which their teachers are held. Teaching in other countries is a highly skilled, sought after, and well-respected profession with appropriate compensation.

Not unlike other fields and professions, the field of education has changed a great deal over the years. The advent of technology is only one of the factors influencing today's classrooms. Perhaps even more impactful is the changing dynamics of the family. More students are being raised by grandparents or other guardians with often one or both parents only sporadically involved in the child's rearing. These circumstances in the student's home life then, all too often, result in a negative impact on the child's academic performance.

This means that the role of the teacher takes on even greater significance than before. While most can name one or more teachers who had a great impact on their lives, the teacher's role has now, perhaps, taken on even greater importance. While possibly difficult to measure, it may take the unique perspective and experience of the teacher to spot the hidden talents and gifts within a student and then nurture and develop these.

The New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) has always maintained that “every child in New Mexico, regardless of background, ethnicity, or zip code, can learn and achieve academic success.” (http://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/information/essa-new-mexico/). It was back in December of 2015 that ESSA — Every Student Succeeds Act — was signed into law, which represented a “shift to empowering State Education Agencies” to better serve our students in public education. The PED provides an ever-increasing wealth of support resources, from extensive teacher resources (http://teachreachnm.us/resources/) to the NM Parent Guide (https://families.ped.state.nm.us/) to much more.

There is no time like the present to consider becoming a teacher. Few other professions have the potential to change the world by powerfully touching young lives daily. Few other professions can provide the deep sense of fulfillment that teaching does. Few other professions provide the daily opportunity to ignite curiosity and inspire our youngsters.

So, change the world. Be a teacher.

Cindy Kleyn-Kennedy is the instructional technology coordinator for the Clovis Municipal Schools and can be reached at: [email protected]