- Intrinsic Rewards- The section that mentioned how a teacher feels when a child finally understands a math concept made me smile. I like that helping a child learn is going to bring that feeling of accomplishment to the teacher as well as the student.
- National Board Certification- Before reading this chapter I did not know that there was a national certification. I like that going that extra step in your career will result in a pay increase. Some extras will be done for the intrinsic rewards however it is still nice that some others will be rewarded financially.
- Field based Supervisors- No matter how much I feel I can be an effective teacher, when I start my first year there will be a lot that I am unaware of. Knowing there are people out there that will look out for me and make sure I am doing a good job provides some peace of mind.
The first chapter however was not entirely joyful, here are some aspects that made me frown.
- Immorality and Unprofessional Conduct- The example about the West Virginian teacher that was fired for continuing to make sexual comments after being warned to stop made me angry. People like that should not become teachers, there is no room in a safe school for a teacher to act in a sexual manner.
- Job availability- The specific part of this section that bothered my was that 1 of 5 new teachers are not teaching after 3 years. A 20% drop out rate seems high for a career that is so different from any others. I was shocked that so many would mistake what being a teacher is actually going to be about.
- Small Private Schools- I did not like small private schools thinking a professional such as a teacher is willing to take a smaller salary. The sad fact of the world is there is no choice sometimes. Nobody gets into education to become rich but private schools paying less than a public school is a slap in the face for the work they expect.
