One of the most fascinating questions to ask a teacher is, “Why do you teach?” It’s no secret that teachers, regardless of school affiliation, don’t get paid very well. The hours, although less than traditional, are usually longer than your typical 40hour workweek. Parents are almost always challenging to deal with and most of your bonuses come in the form of gap-toothed smiles and handcrafted cards.
So, why do I teach?
6 years ago I would have said, “Because I couldn’t be a therapist.” It is hard to even write that now. It seems so callus, but it was how I felt. I’d gone to University with the belief that I would become a child therapist. I had always been the peacemaker in my classrooms growing up. Helping friends and family understand each other’s points of view had always come easily to me. It seemed like the natural path to take.
During senior year, my major courses were pretty intense. Several of the professors had us watch interviews with abused and/or neglected children. It was heartbreaking. I couldn’t make it through any of the films without tearing up. After class was over, I’d think about the films for weeks.
Panic set in. I can’t do this! I can’t spend all day listening to the troubles of children and then have a normal family life. How could I possibly detach from all of that? I couldn’t and that was the problem.
What now? For 10 years I’d known just what my future would involve. Now, I was floating in a world of possibilities. Not a fun place for a control freak like me. Should I stay in the corporate world? I was already working full time as a controller and making pretty good money. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. No, I wanted to work with kids, but how do I do that?
Several of my friends suggested that I look into teaching. That terrified me. I hadn't been a great student until college. We moved incessantly and that made it sort of hard to make lasting connections with important concepts. Also, maybe because of this, I’m a terrible speller. For some reason I just don’t see the mistakes, or I see mistakes that are not there because I’m so worried. Ya… I’d make a great teacher.
Long story short, I stumbled into an assistant teaching gig while looking for a better option, fell in love with being in the classroom, found a school that fit for me, and I do make a great teacher. My insecurities help me assist students with similar concerns. I’m able to use my own weakness to demonstrate how important it is to be able to make mistakes. I’m not trying to send a group of perfect spellers to the next grade. I’m trying to send a group of empathetic, resourceful learners. If you don’t know a word, where do you look? How fast can we do it? What might the guidewords be? If I don’t have a dictionary around, but I do have a computer, can I find a spelling? Can I look on posters around the room for a correct spelling?
My passion, dedication, and enthusiastic love for learning are what make me a teacher. I wouldn’t be whole doing anything else.
That is why I teach.
