Is being a great teacher learned or inherent?

By Cynthia Grimm
College of Education
Long Island University, C. W. Post
January 20, 2010

There are many great teachers in the educational system and just as many paths to becoming one. Although there are some who know “from the beginning” that they are meant to teach, I think there are also a great many number of people, successful in their chosen fields, who may one day find themselves in front of a classroom. Sometimes it is the winding path that leads to our destination.

In my own experience I have found a culmination of factors (motherhood, community work, teaching photography workshops) that eventually led to my decision to become an art teacher. I found my latest career experience of working alongside teachers in a paraprofessional role to be of great value in my life. I have learned from them, as well as the children in our classes, the many different possibilities of sharing knowledge and getting students interested in learning. They are my friends and my mentors. Had I not first set out on my professional journey in art and publishing, I don’t think I’d be in the same place in my teaching career. I came to learn (!) that what I loved most in those professions was the interaction with students and the sharing of information to help others both problem solve and find their creativity. Learning from my peers has given me a confidence that I can impart some of my own creativity and love of art to others.

I definitely don’t think I was born to teach, but I do think I will make a great teacher.