30 Day Reflection: What I Love About Teaching

 Day 4: What do you love most about teaching?

This is the 4th day in 30 day challenge from Teach Thought.

After meeting someone for the first time, I am often greeted with a question.  Why did you become a teacher? I wish I could put a definite number on the times I have been asked this question over the years. Most people are generally curious as to why anyone would choose to teach willingly. Some are just grumpy and wish to disparage my choice of careers.

There isn’t a pat answer for this question. My honest response to this question often leaves people shaking their heads. It’s true. I could do something else with my life. I have other options. I even explored some of those my first couple years of college. Yet, I always came back to being a teacher.

Even in high school, I recognized that teachers needed a specific skill set—a mix of content knowledge, heart, creativity, and grit. I was blessed with amazing teachers at Madison Southern High School in Berea, Kentucky. My teachers in high school were fun, knowledgeable, and caring. They made teaching as a career very appealing. Please don’t misunderstand me. Teaching isn’t an easy job. It certainly isn’t a job that everyone can do. It is a high stakes job because you are dealing with students’ lives. Teachers have the ability to inspire or crush students—every day. For this reason, teaching isn’t a “fall back” job.

So, why did I choose to teach? I chose teaching because I love working with high school students. The subject matter was secondary to me. I knew I wanted to work with teenagers. Even now when people ask me what I teach, I usually respond with “10^th graders”. When pressed, I tell them English/Language Arts. Making a difference in a student’s life is the most important aspect of this job. I make it a point to remind my students that second chances are possible. I tell them they are not defined by their worst day. These sentiments may sound cheesy to someone outside of the profession, but I believe they are necessary to my classroom environment.

I choose to teach because this job allows me to be creative and innovative. Each day I have to think on my feet because no two days are alike. Of course, I have a plan every day. Sometimes that plan is hijacked because of interruptions like burst water pipes, no heat, construction. There isn’t a how-to chart for every situation that pops up, so figuring out how to keep my students focused and engaged during these interruptions keeps me busy.  My students have different needs each year, and I need to adjust my teaching practices to meet those needs.

Finally, I teach because I love it. I love the give and take that happens in my classroom. I love that my students and colleagues teach me something new every day. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t laugh with my students. I love that what I do matters--every day. While I might leave the classroom at the end of the day tired, there hasn’t been a day that I didn’t want to return the next day.

The next time you talk to a teacher and ask why he or she chose to become a teacher, be prepared for a complicated answer. Then, instead of shaking your head, shake the teacher’s hand.