where the students call him "Mister." He takes a coffee break in the teachers' lounge now and then, a junior colleague of teachers young and old. His friends who are not planning on becoming teachers are studying, heading off for the occasional job interview, and spending a great deal of time as college students do—enjoying independence, hanging out, reading interesting books, thinking about the future. In this local culture, the student-teacher is a standout. He's in the real world, seen by many as a full adult citizen, clearly bearing serious responsibility for the many students he deals with on a regular basis. This is a person with prestige in his community of college friends. He is a person who can easily feel good about his choice to be a teacher. Roll forward a year, now. Our young teacher is getting his sea legs before his own class—teaching on his own, with a mentor teacher checking in now and then perhaps, and a little extra support from the principal if the principal has the time and interest. He's solving problems, developing relationships with students, and working through one of the most difficult and rewarding phases in a teacher's life. He's also making an adult salary, though not a particularly large one. He's probably taking courses toward a master's degree in education or a related subject in the evenings. His friends are doing a range of things—taking time off to travel, working in jobs that might be the beginnings of their own careers or might help them learn what they don't want to do for a living, or perhaps they're beginning graduate or professional schools. Remember, we're talking about the social circle of the kind of young teacher who should be prized—the talented, ambitious young person. His friends are probably a lot like him—they're people with plenty of options who are looking for the right paths to exercise their own talents and build meaningful lives. Some are likely to be ...
