Traversing Teaching-Lilli Massey

     Lilli Massey  In the past few years of my education, many people have raised the question, what is the purpose of public school. The simplest answer would of course be, to teach kids how to be functioning young adults, equipping them with the skills needed to be useful members of society. So that means making sure they understand how to find slope, understand Shakespeare, and most importantly, that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. Right? Thats what our teachers have  to teach us to be considered "good" teachers by the school boards. I however, think that schools have a much more important role, outside of getting the grade s. Schools should be a place where students feel safe and accepted for who they are, not what they can accomplish. In fact, the Texas Government states that " The mission of the public education system of this state is to ensure that all Texas children have access to a quality education that enables...

Why teach? For my whole life, I struggled to find a path that I thought really spoke to me. Sure, I would find hobbies, and spark new interests, but nothing I could really see myself doing long term. Looking back on my childhood, I really should have known I loved teaching from the start, considering I always tried to “play school” with my younger brother, which involved me writing out mini lessons or practice problems for my very unwilling student.🙈 Not to mention I come from at least two generations of teachers from both sides of my family. I finally realized that I wanted to teach when I got to Highschool. I was a member of the band, and it was one of the first organizations I felt truly accepted in. By my senior year, I had collected nearly every leadership position in the program short of drum major, because I loved being the person who people would look to for help or guidance. My directors often asked why I wasn’t interested in drum major, and I never really had much of an answ...