Chapter 1: Becoming a Teacher

Things about teaching that are joyful:

• "Teaching is one of the most important careers in a democratic society because it can prepare students to be productive citizens who can think crucially about society and their own lives" (6).
  
• Teaching presents challenges such as "ensuring that underserved students learn at high levels and take joy in the academic success of their students"(7).
  
• Teachers can experience further learning in the subject they love and then experience joy as they pass on knowledge to students. It also "allows enough time to be with family, ... has job security and gives the sense that they are respected and appreciated" (6).

Things about teaching that are not joyful:

• "[T]eachers seem to have little control over their work" (10).
• Teachers "are seriously underpaid, especially considering the talent and hard work that teaching requires" (16).
• "You may not be able to find a teaching job in the community in which you grew up or near the university you are attending because these schools often have few openings" (19).