Chenango Forks High School 1971 Yearbook (Chenango Bridge, NY) - Full Access

Teaching is the biHersweet profession. It contains more contra– dictions than consistencies, many of which lead to complete frus– tration. In order to be THE teacher one needs to be an egotist, yet only through suppression of this egotism can anything meaningful be realized; to try to reflect the tenets of life, but all too often ex– isting in a vacuum; to be interesting, but not let your quest for being interesting stifle the imagination of the young; to possess the knowledge to be considered an expert in a field, but not let your expertise dominate your lesson; to care deeply for each stu– dent, but not express it too openly; and to feel anger, but not ex– hibit it. From many of these contradictions and innumerable others many frustrations are built, and pushed back. Disagreements with colleagues, disappointment over student procrastination, the let- , down of a well-prepared lesson bombing, disgust with oneself over a personal weakness or momentary lapse that caused a les– son not to reach expectations, apathy on the part of students, and teachers, all lead to tension which seems to lead to an eventual in– evitable crack. But these are the biHers, and it's the sweets that make all these tolerable and even seem secondary when viewed in the perspec– tive of the sweets. Only a teacher, regardless of his role in educa– tion, can only understand the ecstasy that arises when the one un– believable class happens, "right on." No words can ever begin to express that feeling that is even more greatly embellished when c student or students, because of the class or subsequent discussion, express a sincere interest in further study or research. Being able to take each student and try, regardless of how unrealistic, to make them better, more interested and knowledgeable than him– self, is truly what the rewards of teaching are all about. In this re– spect the bitter and sweet are in their true perspective, and, in– deed, the real teacher is the parent of humanity.