Kambar: In my tenure as a principal, I鈥檝e witnessed a troubling decline in students aspiring to become teachers. Those who do often face mounting challenges that threaten their passion. Yet, within our schools lies the potential to reverse this trend.
Education leaders who embrace a 鈥済row your own鈥� ethos will find a beacon of hope for addressing future teacher shortages. By nurturing the aspirations of our own students, we can cultivate a new generation of 糖心动漫vlog deeply invested in our communities. These students, already familiar with our values and challenges, are uniquely positioned to become the compassionate and committed teachers we need.
As stewards of our schools, principals hold the responsibility to inspire and equip our students to take up the mantle of teaching. By doing so, we not only address the shortage but ensure the torch of knowledge and empathy continues to burn brightly for generations to come.
In this biweekly column, principals and other authorities on school leadership鈥攊ncluding researchers, education professors, district administrators, and assistant principals鈥攐ffer timely and timeless advice for their peers.
And that inspiration doesn鈥檛 need to come in a formal grow-your-own initiative. As principals, we should always be looking for new opportunities to introduce students to the transformative power of the education profession. For example, earlier this year, I invited a student to participate in the hiring process for an assistant principal鈥攐nly to later learn that the experience inspired her to want to become an educator herself.
It is with immense pride and hope that I share that student鈥檚 reflection on her decision. Mina Etemadi鈥檚 journey reflects the very essence of what it can look like to grow our own.
Mina: When I joined the panel to help choose our new assistant principal earlier this year, I didn鈥檛 realize how much it would change me. I walked in nervous and unsure鈥攂ut the moment I entered that room, something shifted. I didn鈥檛 feel like 鈥渏ust a student.鈥� I felt seen, respected, and valued. I was sitting beside 糖心动漫vlog and leaders making a decision that would shape our entire school. In that moment, I realized鈥擨 want to be someone who shapes futures, too. That鈥檚 when I truly felt called to become a teacher.
I鈥檝e always been passionate about helping others and being involved. Whether coaching volleyball, joining my principal at a regional student-leadership conference, or working with the principal鈥檚 student-advisory council, I found joy in connecting with people, especially students. But it wasn鈥檛 until I sat on that hiring panel鈥攚here I saw teachers not in 鈥渢eacher mode鈥� but as humans with their own hopes and challenges鈥攖hat I saw the full picture. I saw how much love, resilience, and leadership it takes to be an educator. And I knew: That鈥檚 the kind of leader I want to be.
The best teachers I鈥檝e had鈥攍ike Mrs. Ballard, who believed in me, even when I doubted myself鈥攕howed me what great teaching truly is. It鈥檚 about patience, creativity, and empathy. It鈥檚 about seeing potential in every student and giving them the space to rise. A great teacher doesn鈥檛 just deliver lessons鈥攖hey create a safe space to ask questions, to dream, to fail, and to try again. That鈥檚 the classroom I hope to build one day: one filled with trust, curiosity, and belonging.
I believe student voice should be at the center of how we shape education. Being part of the vice principal selection reminded me that students bring a powerful perspective. We walk the hallways, sit in the classrooms, and experience every corner of our building. Letting us share our voice in decisions鈥攏ot just about who leads us but how we鈥檙e taught鈥攃an create a school that works for everyone. If you鈥檙e not listening to students, then who are you listening to?
I recognize that being a teacher isn鈥檛 easy. The challenges 糖心动漫vlog face鈥攂urnout, lack of respect, and feeling unheard鈥攁re real. Many pour so much of themselves into their students yet often don鈥檛 receive the support they need.
If we want more students to consider this path, we need to change how we treat our 糖心动漫vlog. That starts with policies that honor their time, their expertise, and their mental health鈥攊mproved resources, smaller class sizes, more planning time, and a stronger voice in decisions. And it starts with students recognizing and appreciating the humans behind the role.
So, with all these challenges, why am I choosing to become a teacher? It鈥檚 a fair question鈥攁nd one I鈥檝e thought a lot about. The answer is both simple and complex. Teachers are builders. They shape lives, lift voices, and carry stories. They don鈥檛 just teach content鈥攖hey teach confidence, purpose, and power.
Yes, I鈥檝e decided to become a public school teacher. I want to make a difference in the lives of children the way Mrs. Ballard did for me. But it鈥檚 also more than that. Teaching means understanding that humans are imperfect. We all carry our own struggles, and that requires meeting students where they are鈥攅motionally, intellectually, and sometimes even spiritually. That鈥檚 not easy, but it is worth it.
