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The call to teach is marked by strong positive emotions toward a particular subject matter, students, and the act of teaching itself. Individuals called to teach recognize that their work may exert powerful influences on students' views about psychology, the role of psychology in their everyday lives, and psychology as a career option. Teachers enhance the likelihood that their students will be receptive to these influences by imparting substantive and accurate knowledge, making this knowledge relevant, emphasizing critical thinking, and sharing their academic values, curiosities, and enthusiasm. An individual's calling to teach may be understood through the development of a philosophy of teaching and the pursuit of teaching as a form of scholarship.
A few years ago, a popular bumper sticker issued a charge to all literate drivers and their passengers: "If you can read this, thank a teacher." The message is clear. Teachers, particularly those who teach basic skills, such as reading and writing, play an important role in our culture. Indeed, it is through reading that most of us are introduced to knowledge, new ideas, and story telling-in short, the life of the mind. The subtext of the message is just as clear. Teachers are unappreciated to the extent that someone had to create a roving advertisement to prompt others to recognize their importance. That teachers are unappreciated is underscored by their low salaries and societal views regarding teaching as a rather pedestrian way to earn a living. To add insult to injury, all too often someone will proclaim that "those who can, do; those who can't, teach."
If teaching does not produce riches or fame, why do it? In this essay, we will explore such reasons as they pertain to college and university teaching. Specifically, we will discuss the calling to teach, along with the roles of teaching philosophy and teaching as scholarship. We begin with teaching as a calling.
TEACHING AS A CALLING
A calling generally is thought to represent an inner urge or prompting that compels an individual to undertake a specific course of action. When teachers speak of being called to teach, they usually are referring to the fact that they find teaching richly rewarding in ways that other vocations are not. They even might say they "love...