Archived: The Educational System in the United States: Case Study Findings

Teachers’ Personal Characteristics
Motivation to Become a Teacher
For some of the Case Study teachers the desire to teach was longstanding or deter-
mined early during their college years. One such teacher simply stated: ‘‘I always
knew I wanted to become a teacher.’’ Others explained that they ‘‘never intended
to teach’’ and only came to it gradually, generally because of dissatisfaction with
another line of work. For example, a young single mother who had been teaching
for 3 years explained her emerging desire to teach in this way:
I didn’t want to go to college. I had computer training while in high school,
and I got a job in a corporation, and I was a secretary to the corporate lawyer.
And everybody was wearing the same stuff. I wanted something different. I
decided it wasn’t the way to go. I thought teaching was a way I could use
my creativity and work with children at the same time. So I went into edu-
cation, and I really enjoy it.
Many women teachers commented that being a teacher made it easier to both
work and have a family. When I asked one elementary teacher why she thought
most became teachers, she laughed and commented, ‘‘June, July, and August,’’ but
then quickly added, ‘‘It’s a really big advantage to have the time off in the summer
to spend with your children. I love summers off; I love the time I get off.’’ Others
also mentioned that they appreciated having time with their children in the sum-
mers. Indeed, since most teachers are women—and mothers—this explanation
captured what might be considered a major incentive to enter and remain in the

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field. Many teachers also reported that they liked children, wanted to ‘‘make a dif-
ference,’’ or wanted to do something they considered creative or meaningful.
What Makes a Good Teacher?
Teachers at different levels of schooling tended to define a ‘‘good’’ teacher in
slightly different ways. Those working in elementary schools seemed more child-
focused in their discussions and believed that a good teacher was a kind person,
one who was ‘‘understanding,’’ and ‘‘sensitive to the needs of children.’’ Elemen-
tary teachers who expressed sympathy for children were more likely to imply that
some parents were not doing their job. Teachers also thought that a good teacher
needed to know what she was doing. Some elementary school teachers com-
plained about other teachers whom they perceived to not work very hard or not
understand the material they were supposed to be teaching. Often, however, it
was the social aspects of teaching—the work with children—that were accen-
tuated.
The secondary school teachers generally considered themselves subject-matter spe-
cialists. Good teachers had to know how to teach their subject. It was a plus if
students liked a teacher, and, indeed, some felt that having a sense of humor and
an ability to handle a class increased the likelihood that students would learn, but
the teacher’s primary responsibility was to teach.
Middle school teachers pointed out that many schools were changing from a ‘‘jun-
ior high’’ to a ‘‘middle school’’ model, because young adolescents still need the
support and ‘‘family-like’’ concern more characteristic of elementary schools even
though, in the middle school, they would be taught by a number of teachers. The
middle school concept utilizes a team approach in which a group of teachers
works with the same students and thereby is able to give them more personal
attention.