Perspectives of a Teacher and an Administrator on Education

Teacher/Administrator Interviews

Perspectives of a Teacher and an Administrator on Education

This is a report on the results of an interview with two veteran educational professionals, a 2nd grade teacher and an administrator. These interviews were conducted to better understand the subject's viewpoints on education and to gain insight as to why they chose to pursue their careers in education. The teacher reported she had been in the classroom for 24 years as a teacher and had experience as an instructional aide previously. The administrator stated he had taught for 19 years before he assumed his duties as a principal eight years ago. The teacher's highest level of education was a Bachelors Degree in Education plus 30 units of graduate work, while the administrator said he had a Masters in Administration and supervision. Both subjects revealed that they each had a sister in the profession and the teacher's mother had been a paraprofessional in a kindergarten classroom.

Overview of Responses to Questions

Neither the teacher nor the administrator lives in the community in which they work. The teacher stated that though she lives in the same county she does not reside in the community. Upon entering the classroom her sister had advised "Don't teach in your backyard." She indicated that she felt this was good advice and wise to keep some distance from you and your students and not see them each weekend at the grocery store, "That way they still think that you live at school." The administrator stated, "No, but there is a definite advantage to living in the community-one you can be at community affairs very quickly, you get be readily available to the students, parents, and other community persons."

When asked why they chose education as a career the teacher stated that she had always loved "babies and little kids" and when given the opportunity to work as a paraprofessional in a kindergarten class she found she "loved it!" The administrator said he Furthermore he felt he could make a difference in the lives of children, particularly the disable and less fortunate and he found the work very rewarding once "you wade past the challenges." He also mentioned that he felt more Christian educators in the public sector were needed. The teacher said her greatest educational influence was her fourth grade teacher, who showed she cared for her by teaching her how to tell time without publicly humiliating her for not mastering this skill before the age of 10. The administrator identified a teacher who was always patient with the rowdy students in school and could "direct our energy toward the educational perspectives."