National Teacher Recruitment Clearinghouse — Aboutteach
By Bastien Petrov · · 3 min read
All About Teaching
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Profiles:****
Why I Teach**
Teacher-in-Residence
Mid-Career Changer
High School Student
Teacher Aide
Resources
**Why I Teach
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**Irasema Ortega-Crawford became a biology teacher in Mesa, AZ, after seeing RNT’s “Reach for the Power: Teach!” public service advertisement.
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The Sparks
Every time my students get excited about learning something new, I see sparks shooting from their eyes. And though I could fill a book with everything I have to say about the rewards of teaching, and the chance to do something meaningful and fulfilling with my life, whenever I’m asked why I became a teacher, that’s always the first and best thing that comes to mind. The sparks.
Passion For Learning
Even though I did not start out to be a teacher, I have always had some affinity for teaching and a passion for learning. In the schools of my native Venezuela, I had excellent teachers — wonderful individuals who loved to teach and challenge as they passed the torch of knowledge to us, their students.
To this day, any time a teacher in Venezuela enters a classroom, all of the students stand up, out of respect for el maestro. My father was a teacher, and I knew, back then, that someday I would become one too.
Then I moved to the U.S. and all I heard was “Those who can’t, teach,” and “But Ira, you can do better than that.”
So, after college I went to work at a university research lab. The little flame, that love for sharing, didn’t die, but it was pushed to the background. I felt like an island, totally disconnected, fearful and yet hopeful that someday I would have the courage to go for it, no matter what anyone said or thought.
On To Teaching
One night after a dreadful, boring day at work, I was watching TV and saw an ad from a group called Recruiting New Teachers flash on the screen. A voice asked viewers to “reach for the power to wake up young minds. Teach.” I know it sounds crazy, but from that moment on I knew what to do.
Teaching is the best job I’ve ever had. As one of just two bilingual biology specialists in my district, I created new curriculum materials for my English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) kids, and launched a college bound ESL club that was just as rewarding for me as it was for its members.
The Best of Both Worlds
I truly have had the best of both worlds: a good school system that supports its teachers (at least those who stand up for what they need in order to teach well), and a chance to make a difference in the lives of young people. I have had the opportunity to return to education what I received from my own teachers and mentors.
It’s not easy work. In fact, I will say that it is the most challenging work I have ever done. I have to be there with my students in body and soul, day in and day out. It can be draining, and it can sometimes seem like a battleground.
But how do I feel at the end of each day? I feel proud of my students. I feel more knowledgeable about living, teaching, and learning. I feel lucky to be a teacher. I feel…full of sparks.