經典范文及點評：我為什么當老師
教師，是一個崇高的職業。因為教師是為社會培養人才的園丁，是人類靈魂的工程師。那么，當一名老師又能給教師自己帶來什么呢?
Why 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 answer. The world is full of right answers to bad questions. While teaching, I sometimes find good questions.
So teaching gives me pace and variety, and challenge, and the opportunity to keep on learning①.
However, the most important reasons why I teach are that my students grow up and change in front of me. Some have become doctoral students with excellent success and found good jobs; some have become interested in the urban poor and served as civil rights lawyers; some have decided to finish high school and go to college.
But teaching offers something besides money and power: it offers love. Not only the love of learning and of books and ideas, but also the love that a teacher feels for that rare student who walks into a teachers life and begins to breathe. Perhaps love is the wrong word: magic might be better.
I teach because, being around people who are beginning to breathe, I occasionally find myself catching my breath with them.
[294 words]
行文點評
文章第一段到第四段都采用了I teach because...的句型開頭，句式統一，在內容上構成了并列。每段的第一句即為該段的主題句，先指出自己想要當老師的原因，接著再具體進行解釋。在第五段中，作者用So概括了上述原因，再次重申Why I Teach，呼應主題。第六段開頭借助However一詞的過渡，指出教書最重要的理由，和前文構成了語義上的遞進。文章最后一段還是用I teach because...結尾，與段首相呼應，使文章顯得有始有終。
好文妙譯
我為什么當老師
我教書，是因為我喜愛學校日程的安排。六月、七月和八月這三個月的暑假提供了一個思考、研究和創作的機會。
我教書，是因為教學是建立在變化基礎上的職業。雖然教材還是原來的不變，但我自身卻變了，更重要的是，我的學生變了。
我教書，是因為我喜歡有讓自己犯錯的自由，喜歡自己吸取教訓的自由，喜歡激勵自己和激勵學生的自由。作為教師，我可以自行做主。如果我想要求一年級學生通過自己編寫課本的方法來學習寫作，誰會說我不能那樣做呢?這樣的課程也許會徹底失敗，但我們都可以從失敗中獲得教益。
我教書，是因為我喜歡提出學生必須絞盡腦汁方能回答的問題。我們這個世界充滿了對付拙劣問題的正確答案。我在教學過程中，有時也發現了一些好的問題。所以說，教書讓生活變得有節奏、豐富多彩;教書向我提出了挑戰，也給了我不斷學習的機會。
然而，我教書最重要的理由是，我的學生在我面前成長、發展、變化。有些學生成了成就斐然的博士，找到了好工作;有些對城市貧民發生了興趣，當了維護公民權力的律師;有些決定讀完高中后繼續上大學。
教書還帶來了超越金錢和權力以外的東西：那便是愛。不僅是愛學習、愛書本、愛思想，還有老師對出類拔萃的學生的愛。這樣的學生走進了老師的生活，開始成長起來。愛這個字也許用得不恰當，說是魔力也許更為貼切。
我教書，是因為與開始成長的學生朝夕相處打成一片，我偶爾發現自己也和他們一起開始成長了。
詞匯斟酌
calendar n.日歷，月歷
stimulate vt.刺激，激勵
freshman n. 新生, 大學一年級學生
doctoral adj. 博士的
佳句臨摹
①【注釋】keep on 繼續
【臨摹】She kept on working although she was tired. 她累了,卻仍在繼續工作。
思如泉涌
Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. 生活無目標，猶如航海無羅盤。
A burden of ones choice is not felt. 愛挑的擔子不嫌重。
教師，是一個崇高的職業。因為教師是為社會培養人才的園丁，是人類靈魂的工程師。那么，當一名老師又能給教師自己帶來什么呢?
Why 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 answer. The world is full of right answers to bad questions. While teaching, I sometimes find good questions.
So teaching gives me pace and variety, and challenge, and the opportunity to keep on learning①.
However, the most important reasons why I teach are that my students grow up and change in front of me. Some have become doctoral students with excellent success and found good jobs; some have become interested in the urban poor and served as civil rights lawyers; some have decided to finish high school and go to college.
But teaching offers something besides money and power: it offers love. Not only the love of learning and of books and ideas, but also the love that a teacher feels for that rare student who walks into a teachers life and begins to breathe. Perhaps love is the wrong word: magic might be better.
I teach because, being around people who are beginning to breathe, I occasionally find myself catching my breath with them.
[294 words]
行文點評
文章第一段到第四段都采用了I teach because...的句型開頭，句式統一，在內容上構成了并列。每段的第一句即為該段的主題句，先指出自己想要當老師的原因，接著再具體進行解釋。在第五段中，作者用So概括了上述原因，再次重申Why I Teach，呼應主題。第六段開頭借助However一詞的過渡，指出教書最重要的理由，和前文構成了語義上的遞進。文章最后一段還是用I teach because...結尾，與段首相呼應，使文章顯得有始有終。
好文妙譯
我為什么當老師
我教書，是因為我喜愛學校日程的安排。六月、七月和八月這三個月的暑假提供了一個思考、研究和創作的機會。
我教書，是因為教學是建立在變化基礎上的職業。雖然教材還是原來的不變，但我自身卻變了，更重要的是，我的學生變了。
我教書，是因為我喜歡有讓自己犯錯的自由，喜歡自己吸取教訓的自由，喜歡激勵自己和激勵學生的自由。作為教師，我可以自行做主。如果我想要求一年級學生通過自己編寫課本的方法來學習寫作，誰會說我不能那樣做呢?這樣的課程也許會徹底失敗，但我們都可以從失敗中獲得教益。
我教書，是因為我喜歡提出學生必須絞盡腦汁方能回答的問題。我們這個世界充滿了對付拙劣問題的正確答案。我在教學過程中，有時也發現了一些好的問題。所以說，教書讓生活變得有節奏、豐富多彩;教書向我提出了挑戰，也給了我不斷學習的機會。
然而，我教書最重要的理由是，我的學生在我面前成長、發展、變化。有些學生成了成就斐然的博士，找到了好工作;有些對城市貧民發生了興趣，當了維護公民權力的律師;有些決定讀完高中后繼續上大學。
教書還帶來了超越金錢和權力以外的東西：那便是愛。不僅是愛學習、愛書本、愛思想，還有老師對出類拔萃的學生的愛。這樣的學生走進了老師的生活，開始成長起來。愛這個字也許用得不恰當，說是魔力也許更為貼切。
我教書，是因為與開始成長的學生朝夕相處打成一片，我偶爾發現自己也和他們一起開始成長了。
詞匯斟酌
calendar n.日歷，月歷
stimulate vt.刺激，激勵
freshman n. 新生, 大學一年級學生
doctoral adj. 博士的
佳句臨摹
①【注釋】keep on 繼續
【臨摹】She kept on working although she was tired. 她累了,卻仍在繼續工作。
思如泉涌
Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. 生活無目標，猶如航海無羅盤。
A burden of ones choice is not felt. 愛挑的擔子不嫌重。
