Last week my daughter told me she wants to be a teacher, and I winced in pain. While she is only nine, she clearly has caught “the bug.” If you are a teacher, you know what I mean. One, her dad, aunt and grandpa are/were all teachers. She is teaching her little brother, and volunteers at church to work with the kindergarten group.
So when I seemed less than enthusiastic about this epiphany, she asked why. At first I was going to go over the usual… less pay, more hours, not being appreciated, being dictated by politicians and “experts” who have NEVER, EVER taught, etc. But then I stopped myself from the negative and pondered… If all we want from life is to be happy, why wouldn’t she choose teaching?
I thought about all the “happy” teachers I know and the difference they were making in their students’ lives (this is by no means to say that the teachers that are not as happy aren’t effective). Making a difference is what makes most of us happy. Knowing that you are being used for a purpose is what makes us get up in the morning. But then I thought about the less obvious reason why she (or anyone) should choose to be a teacher: Your students make you a better person.
Whether it be fair or not, teachers are held to a higher standard than almost any profession, with the clergy and policemen coming in a close second. A Congressmen gets caught with drugs and prostitutes, and what happens? Little. If the same thing happened to a teacher?… you know the rest. But not getting into legal trouble is what I was thinking about; It was more about the journey to be a better person and the sheer joy of being a lifelong learner.
I am lucky to be teaching in an environment that I utilize technology all the time. I would love to tell you that I learn it on my own, but that would be a lie. I learn it from my students! I will NEVER keep up with the latest technology updates, gadgets, and such. However I am constantly learning in little bits from my students. One student is finding out about a new video editing software update, while another is showing me how to write an app for Google Glass. If I fall too far behind, I’ll not be of much use to them, so I feel compelled to keep up.
Field trip
But the BIGGEST reason education is good for my daughter is because teaching makes you strive to be a better person. Too many kids are counting on you to be their role model; to be there when times are tough. They believe in you, and because they believe in you, YOU must live up to their expectations. Yes it is a lot of pressure, and yes we can fall short, but it’s the pursuit to be better that makes many of us move forward with our profession.
No, I am not in this for the money. No, I am not happy to listen to a politician to tell me how effective I am. And no, I am not doing this for my “summers off.”
I am, however, in this for my payment of making a difference. I can ignore reading the headlines, but will not ignore reading a letter from a former student thanking me. I am “all in” when it comes to learning new stuff, because… well… I get bored. I want to learn! I get excited about new challenges! I feel the pressure to keep challenging myself to provide more opportunities and make great connections every week, and I know I’m not in this journey alone. This is something that few people in can experience: the pressure and joy of being a role model and difference maker.
After reflecting a bit, I turned to and told her that I thought she would be the best elementary teacher ever! After all, I want her to be happy, and the best way to be happy is to be in the service of others… leading them to happiness.