Unit-3-Why-I-Teach课文翻译大学英语三.docVIP

Unit 3 Why I Teach Peter G. Beidler Every teacher probably asks himself time and again: What are the reasons for choosing teaching as a career? Do the rewards teaching outweigh the trying comments? Answering these questions is not a simple task. Lets see what the author says. Why do you teach? My friend asked the question when I told him that I didnt want to be considered for an administrative position. He was puzzled that I did not want what was obviously a step up toward what all Americans are taught to want when they grow up: money and power. Certainly I dont teach because teaching is easy for me. Teaching is the most difficult of the various ways I have attempted to earn my living: mechanic, carpenter, writer. For me, teaching is a red-eye, sweaty-palm, sinking-stomach profession. Red-eye, because I never feel ready to teach no matter how late I stay up preparing. Sweaty-palm, because Im always nervous before I enter the classroom, sure that I will be found out for the fool that I am. Sinking-stomach, because I leave the classroom an hour later convinced that I was even more boring than usual. Nor do I teach because I think I know answers, or because I have knowledge I feel compelled to share. Sometimes I am amazed that my students actually take notes on what I say in class! Why, then, do I teach? I teach because I like the pace of the academic calendar. June, July, and August offer an opportunity for reflection, research and writing. I teach because teaching is a profession built on change. When the material is the same, I change —— and, more important, my students change. I teach because I like the freedom to make my own mistakes, to learn my own lessons, to stimulate myself and my students. As a teacher, Im my own boss. If I want my freshmen to learn to write by creating their own textbook, who is to say I cant? Such courses may be huge failures, but we can all learn from failures. I teach because I like to ask questions that students must struggle to answ