Teaching is one of the most important jobs in our society, as educators play a crucial role in helping to influence children and shape their lives; yet teaching remains a very challenging job, often receiving low compensation. As such, teachers who commit themselves to the field often hold specific values that motivate and drive them to dedicate their lives to others.
Knowledge
The most important value that most teachers hold is that of knowledge and their commitment to instilling this value in their students. While many students find learning to be "boring," teachers strive each day to encourage students to love learning and truly engage themselves in the pursuit of knowledge. Not only do teachers encourage others to pursue knowledge, they continue to pursue knowledge themselves. In this ongoing pursuit, teachers continue to educate themselves on classroom practices, different curriculums and various educational topics.
Hard Work
Hard work is a core value that teachers not only hold for themselves, but also seek to instill in their students as well. Because teachers value hard work, they help students to learn that they must work for what they earn, both in and outside of the classroom. Teachers often display this value by working diligently to grade each of their students' assignments, staying after school to tutor, attending parent-teacher conferences and taking on any number of other duties as necessary.
Persevering
Perseverance is one value that teachers hold and instill in their students. Teachers bring this value to the classroom by encouraging students to learn difficult material or even simply study for a test, as they try to learn as much as they can. In their own profession, teachers today must persevere in the face of budget cuts that threaten their jobs and evolving curriculums that may deviate from their preferred practices.
Compassion
Teachers uphold compassion for others as a core value. Teachers exhibit compassion in their daily lives by relating to students' educational abilities and helping to create a curriculum that works for them. Additionally, compassion drives the work of many teachers, as they work to ensure that students have opportunities not previously afforded to them. Teachers must also encourage their students to have compassion for one another by teaching them to listen to and value each others' opinions in and outside of the classroom.